Department for Transport

Department for Transport: Pay

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) direct employees, (b) agency staff and (c) outsourced staff working for his Department and its subsidiary agencies are paid less than the living wage.

Mr Robert Goodwill: No direct employees, agency staff or outsourced staff working for the Department for Transport and its Executive Agencies are paid less than the living wage.

Taxis

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to publish a response to the Law Commission report, Reforming the law on taxis and private hire services, Cm 8864, published in May 2014.

Andrew Jones: The Government is currently considering the Law Commission’s comprehensive report on reforming taxi and private hire vehicle legislation. In line with the protocol that exists between the Government and the Law Commission, we will provide a full response in due course.

Department for Transport: Buildings

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of the office space owned or leased by his Department is not in regular use; what the total (a) rental and (b) retail value is of all such office space; and if he will place in the Library a copy of his most recent departmental real estate valuation.

Mr Robert Goodwill: As part of the Government’s Transparency Agenda information about Department for Transport properties is published on the data.gov.uk website. Information on surplus properties owned and leased by the Department is available via the following web link:http://data.gov.uk/dataset/epims  Information on the valuation of land and property assets is available in the Department for Transport Annual Report and Accounts:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/department-for-transport-annual-report-and-accounts

Railways: East of England

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many stations on the Greater Anglia rail franchise have ticket offices.

Claire Perry: There are 131 stations managed by Abellio Greater Anglia, whilst their services call at 147 stations. Of those 131 stations 67 have staffed ticket offices.

Railways: East of England

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the cost to the Government of the new Greater Anglia rail franchise.

Claire Perry: The current Direct Award for the Greater Anglia franchise which started in July 2014 is a premium paying franchise, therefore there is no cost to the Government.

Railways: East of England

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that ticket machines on the Greater Anglia rail franchise provide the same value and ticketing options as ticket offices.

Claire Perry: Following the ticket vending machine summit held in December with the rail industry, the industry has committed to improving and simplifying the rail ticketing system so that passengers can be confident of making the right choice when they buy their tickets from any retail outlet. As part of this, rail operators have agreed to improve the information passengers receive when buying tickets from ticket machines. The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has also issued a Code of Practice on ticket retail information, which the industry is expected to follow. We are closely monitoring the progress the industry is making.

Railways: East of England

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the cost to the (a) Government and (b) bidders of the tendering process for the new Greater Anglia rail franchise.

Claire Perry: Our current estimate of the cost for the tendering process is £6.63m through to June 2016. This is in line with the costs of other franchising projects, taking into account recommendations made in Richard Brown’s Review into Rail Franchising. The actual spend will be published annually in our Departmental accounts. With regard to bidders costs, the Department makes no such estimate - this is an internal matter for bidders,

Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 June 2015 to Question 2298, how much DVLA received from vehicle excise duty (a) fees and (b) fines in each of the most recent five years for which figures are available.

Andrew Jones: The table below shows the vehicle excise duty and the total fine income collected by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)   Financial YearVehicle Excise Duty CollectedFines2010-11£5,782 million£49 million2011-12£5,932 million£38 million2012-13£6,013 million£42 million2013-14£6,052 million£41 million2014-15£6,123 million£35 Million

Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 June 2015 to Question 2298, what income the DVLA received from vehicle excise duty; and what that income has been used for in each of the last five years.

Andrew Jones: The table below shows the amount of vehicle excise duty collected by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) over the last five years. All the duty collected is paid in full to HM Treasury. Financial YearVehicle Excise Duty Collected2010-11£5,782 million2011-12£5,932 million2012-13£6,013 million,2013-14£6,052 million2014-15£6,123 million

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Scotland

Stewart McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to extend High Speed 2 to Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Scotland will benefit from high speed services from the moment HS2 opens. When Phase Two is complete HS2 trains will deliver Glasgow/Edinburgh to London journey times of 3hrs 38 minutes.   Advice prepared by HS2 Ltd in conjunction with the Department for Transport, Transport Scotland and the Scotland Office on broad options for high speed and upgraded railways to the north of England and Scotland is currently being considered by Ministers and will be published in due course.   We look forward to continued close co-operation with the Scottish Government to optimise the benefits that Scotland gets from a High Speed Britain.

Railways: North East

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to support rail and rolling stock replacement in the north east.

Andrew Jones: As announced when we issued the Invitation To Tender for the Northern franchise, we are committed to the removal of the existing Pacer trains by the end of 2019 at the latest. We are also requiring bidders to include in their fleet plans at least 120 new-build carriages, and to modernise all other trains operating on the Northern franchise.

Travel: Costs

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the percentage change in real terms of the cost to the traveller of travelling by (a) private car, (b) bus, (c) train and (d) domestic aeroplane since (i) 1980, (ii) 1997 and (iii) 2010.

Andrew Jones: The Department for Transport published statistics on travel costs, based on data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), in the Transport Statistics Great Britain compendium.   Data from the independent ONS suggests that:   (i) Between 1980 and 2014 a) the real cost of motoring, including the purchase of a vehicle, declined by 14%, b) bus and coach fares increased by 58% and c) rail fares increased by 63% in real terms.   (ii) Between 1997 and 2014 a) the real cost of motoring, including the purchase of a vehicle, declined by 11%, b) bus and coach fares increased by 27% and c) rail fares increased by 24% in real terms.   (iii) Between 2010 and 2014 a) the real cost of motoring, including the purchase of a vehicle, decreased by 5%, b) bus and coach fares increased by 2% and c) rail fares increased by 6% in real terms.   (d) The costs of travelling by air are not available from ONS data.　 However information is available based on fare data from the Civil Aviation Authority from 2000. The real cost of the average UK one-way air fare, including taxes and charges, covering domestic flights from 2010 to 2013 declined by 4%. Estimates for 2014 are not yet available.

Regional Airports

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the reason is for the time taken to allocate funding under the Regional Air Connectivity Fund; and when an announcement of the launch of the new air links under the Fund will be made.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government announced last year financial support for two public service obligation routes, Dundee – London City and Newquay Cornwall – London Gatwick from the Regional Air Connectivity Fund.   In addition to this the Government undertook earlier this year an initial application stage for airlines to bid for start-up aid funding. The Government will announce after the July Budget how we will take this forward.

Railways: Children

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to raise the child rail fare age limit from 15 to 18.

Claire Perry: Child fares are defined at 15 not only in rail, but most other forms of public transport. The definition for child fares on rail is set out in the National Rail Conditions of Carriage (NRCoC). This states that states that "Children under 16 years of age are entitled to discounts on most tickets." The NRCoC is an agreement between train operators that sets out arrangements for the carriage of passengers and the retailing of tickets. As such any changes to this agreement would need to be for train operators to consider and not the department.

Immobilisation of Vehicles

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 June 2015 to Question 2297, what the reasons are for the recent increase in the number of vehicles clamped by other authorities.

Andrew Jones: Since the abolition of the tax disc the there has been a small increase in the number of unlicensed vehicles being used on the road which has led to more vehicles being clamped. This is due to a small subsection of motorists buying vehicles but not taxing them immediately as required. The DVLA has written to all those identified to remind them of the need to tax their vehicle.

Rolling Stock: Procurement

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how long it will take for (a) electric IEP trains and (b) other bi-mode IEP trains running on diesel to reach 125 mph on flat and straight track in (i) five and (ii) nine car formations.

Claire Perry: The maximum speed of the bi-mode and electric IEP trains in regular service will be the maximum permitted line speed.   The information relating to electric and bi-mode IEP trains in 5 and 9 car formations can be found in the Train Technical Specification available on the Department of Transport website.

Rail Delivery Group

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will place in the Library copies of all Rail Delivery Group Annual Reports held by his Department.

Claire Perry: The Rail Delivery Group (RDG) has not published an annual report. However, summaries of all RDG meetings since June 2011 are available on the RDG website at:http://www.raildeliverygroup.com/what-we-do/publications/rdg-meetings.html.  The RDG has also published the agenda and summary of proceedings of its Industry Day at:http://www.raildeliverygroup.com/what-we-do/events/rdg-events/rdg-industry-days/previous-rdg-industry-days.html.

Railways: East of England

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what services are outsourced under the Greater Anglia rail franchise; and whether he plans to require such services to be brought in-house when the next such franchise is let.

Claire Perry: There are no such outsourced services. Decisions regarding outsourcing are commercial ones best made by the operator, not dictated by the Department.

Tyne and Wear Metro

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to support the replacement of rolling stock on the Tyne and Wear Metro.

Andrew Jones: The Department has already engaged in preliminary discussions with Nexus to explore options for the replacement of rolling stock on the Tyne & Wear Metro.   The government has also provided £350m towards the cost of upgrading and renewing the current network. Part of this funding has allowed Nexus to refurbish the current fleet.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what flexibility exists between his Department's maintenance and integrated transport budgets to enable funding to be re-allocated to increase spending on road maintenance.

Andrew Jones: The Department for Transport allocates capital funding grants for local highways maintenance and integrated transport block to local highway authorities. This funding is not ring-fenced and it is entirely for each highway authority to decide, based on their needs and priorities, as to how this funding is spent.

Rolling Stock: Procurement

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 22 June 2015 to Question 3011, whether the (a) London and Bristol, (b) London and Cardiff, (c) London and Swansea, (d) London and York, (e) London and Newcastle, (f) London and Edinburgh, (g) Edinburgh and Inverness and (h) Edinburgh and Aberdeen routes are expected to experience the expected 15 minute journey time improvements.

Claire Perry: Final journey time improvements will not be confirmed until the passenger service timetable is published.

Great Western Railway Line

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to reduce the extent of the electrification on the Great Western Line.

Claire Perry: As the Prime Minister recently stated, we are absolutely committed to electrifying the Great Western mainline to Cardiff and through to Swansea and are contributing £125million to the costs of the wider Valley Lines electrification scheme.

Department for Transport: Departmental Responsibilities

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to publish his Department's updated organisation chart; if he will update his Department's Ministerial transparency data series for the period since March 2014; and if he will encourage Network Rail and the Office of Rail and Road to publish their Board minutes no later than three months after those meetings occur.

Mr Robert Goodwill: In order to reduce costs, we no longer publish a printed version of the Department for Transport organisational chart. We publish an online version at www.gov.uk.　Following the General Election this is currently being updated and will be available by the end of July.  We are planning to publish Q3 and Q4 2014/2015 transparency data by mid-July and currently working on the timetable for 2015/2016.   As a regulator independent of government, the Office of Rail and Road’s (ORR) arrangements for publication of its Board minutes are a matter for the ORR Board.　 Network Rail is an arm’s-length public sector body and its arrangements for the publication of the minutes of its Board meetings remain operational matters for the company.　 However, I understand that both bodies advise that they aim to publish their Board minutes within three months.

Railways: Fares

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 22 June 2015 to Question 2634, and with reference to the Northern franchise invitation to tender of 27 February 2015, whether his plans to enable the simplification of regulated fares structures within the consolidated fares baskets that invitation to tender were dependent on bidders' use of the flex mechanism; and what alternative mechanisms are available to bidders for that franchise for the purpose of simplifying overall regulated fare structures.

Andrew Jones: Our plans for simplifying regulated fares within the fares baskets for the Northern Invitation To Tender do not depend solely on bidders' use of the flex mechanism. Whilst the flex mechanism provides one means for train operators to rebalance fares over time to remove the sharp jumps and anomalies that currently occur, fares simplification can nonetheless take place within the Northern franchise without the use of the flex. We expect to work with the future Northern franchisee to explore which approaches would be most appropriate to phase out these anomalies over the long-term.

Regional Airports

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent representations he has received on the continuation, cessation or expansion of the Regional Air Connectivity Fund.

Mr Robert Goodwill: I have received a number of representations from Honourable Members and persons with an interest in the Regional Air Connectivity Fund.

Regional Airports

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will estimate the number of jobs (a) created and (b) supported by the Regional Air Connectivity Fund.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Regional Air Connectivity Fund currently provides financial support for two public service obligation routes (PSO). In assessing the suitability of these routes the Department for Transport undertook an economic appraisal. Whilst this did not identify directly the number of jobs created or supported, it did calculate the economic benefits associated with funding each route.   The Department assessment of the Dundee – London Stansted PSO was that it would generate £3.9 million worth of benefits over the two year funding period, whilst the Newquay Cornwall – London Gatwick PSO would generate £13.3 million worth of benefits over the four year funding period.

Driving: Licensing

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress he has made on putting a Union flag on all new and renewed driving licences.

Andrew Jones: Good progress is being made on the introduction of the Union flag on all driving licences issued to drivers in England, Scotland and Wales. I am confident that DVLA are on track to deliver this in the future.

Midland Main Railway Line: Electrification

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress has been made on the electrification of the Midland Mainline; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: We are pausing electrification works on Midland Mainline pending the proposals we have commissioned from Sir Peter Hendy in the autumn for how the rail upgrade programme will be carried out. On the Midland Mainline, better services can be delivered on that line before electrification using capacity and speed improvement works. The progress already made to enable the electrification of the Midland Mainline includes detailed design, bridge construction and some of the piling for overhead masts. This work will assist with our future plans for the electrification of the route.

Public Transport: Crime

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many incidents of (a) burglary, (b) criminal damage, (c) drugs, (d) fraud or forgery, (e) robbery, (f) sexual offences, (g) theft and handling, (h) violence against the person and (i) serious public disorder there were on (i) London Underground, (ii) London Overground, (iii) London buses, (iv) London tramlink and (v) the Docklands Light Railway in each year between 2008 and 2014.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Transport for London (TfL) publish information of recorded crimes on the TfL network in annual bulletins on a financial year basis. This information can be found on their website: https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/publications-and-reports/crime-and-incident-bulletinsThe number of incidents of the various crimes are in the attached table. TfL do not separate incidents that occur on London Underground and the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) so these are combined. 



UIN 3976 - Table showing number of incidents
(PDF Document, 191.6 KB)

Railways: Compensation

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, from what date he expects to require train companies to improve compensation arrangements for passengers when trains are more than a few minutes late; what improvements to compensation arrangements he plans to make; and whether he has decided how many minutes late a train will have to be for passengers to claim compensation under this revised system.

Claire Perry: Work is already underway on various options to improve compensation arrangements for passengers. The trial by c2c, starting in early 2016, of an automated system providing compensation for delays of between 2 and 29 minutes is very welcome, and it is exactly the kind of compensation system that puts passengers at the centre of the railway. Through franchising we will be working with other operators to ensure they offer a similar process for their customers.

Midland Main Railway Line: Electrification

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to change the (a) extent and (b) scope of the Midland Main Line electrification project.

Claire Perry: On the Midland mainline, better services can be delivered on that line before electrification using capacity and speed improvement works. We are pausing electrification works and a review has been commissioned from Sir Peter Hendy which will report in the autumn for how the rail upgrade programme will be carried out.

Network Rail

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will undertake an affordability review of Network Rail's enhancement projects.

Claire Perry: As the Secretary of State announced on 25 June, in the House, the new chair of Network Rail has been asked to develop proposals for how the rail upgrade programme will be carried out. He is due to report to the Secretary of State for Transport in the Autumn.

Network Rail

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 23 June 2015 to Question 3117, whether any of those meetings took place outside the UK.

Mr Patrick McLoughlin: Departmental officials regularly meet with a range of stakeholders and representatives from across the rail industry, both within the UK and abroad.

Railways: Tickets

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 10 June 2015 to Question 1318, when he expects that work with the rail industry to develop options for introducing part-time season tickets will be completed.

Andrew Jones: We are working with the rail industry to introduce part-time season tickets during the course of this Parliament. This will enable operators to introduce their own products as soon as possible following the roll out of smart ticketing in 2016 and 2017. This will also enable us to consider their inclusion in future franchises.

Home Office

Overseas Students: Scotland

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment her Department has made of the economic effect on universities in Scotland of the removal of the post-study work visa.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office produced an Impact Assessment in respect of its reforms of student routes in June 2011, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/257825/ia-students-.pdfWe closed the Tier 1 (Post Study Work) route in 2012 because too many individuals in the route were unemployed or in low-skilled work, and too many were using the student route merely as a means to work in the UK, without any intention of study.Under the current provisions, there is no limit on the number of genuine students who can come to the UK. Nor is there a limit on the number of graduates who can remain in the UK after their studies. All that non-EEA graduates of UK universities require to stay on to work is a graduate level job with an appropriate salary and an employer who is a Tier 2 sponsor.The number of non-EU domiciled students enrolling at Scottish higher education institutions has not declined: in 2013/14 it was 28,610, compared with 28,500 in 2011/12.

Immigrants: Glasgow

Stewart McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many non-EU migrants in (a) Glasgow South constituency and (b) Glasgow earn less than £35,000 annually.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office does not hold this information.

Visas: East Africa

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for visas were received from citizens of (a) Malawi and (b) Zambia in each month since January 2010; and how many such applications were rejected.

James Brokenshire: The available information is given in the table below: The latest Home Office immigration statistics on entry clearance visas, are published quarterly in the ‘Immigration Statistics, January-March 2015’, available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-statistics



Applications for visas: Malawi & Zambia
(Excel SpreadSheet, 23 KB)

Nurses: Foreign Nationals

Stuart McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential effect on nursing staff of new immigration rules relating to settlement applications; and if she will place a copy of that assessment in the Library.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 25 June 2015



The Home Office published a full impact assessment on the changes to Tier 2 settlement rules when they were laid before Parliament on 15 March 2012. The impact assessment is available on the gov.uk website athttps://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/117957/impact-assessment-tier2.pdf.

Asylum: Deportation

Stuart McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department takes to monitor the safety of people who have been removed or deported from the UK after their asylum application has been refused (a) on the basis that internal relocation to avoid persecution would be possible and (b) for other reasons.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office does not routinely monitor the treatment of individuals once removed from the UK as they have been found not to need protection and therefore that they are not at real risk of harm. Each case is considered on its individual merits including, where relevant, the reasonableness of internal relocation. Returns are only undertaken when the Home Office and courts deem it is safe to do so.

Immigration: Commonwealth Games 2014

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people who came to the UK to (a) take part in and (b) spectate at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow have (i) remained in the UK illegally, (ii) applied for or been granted asylum and (iii) been granted another form of legitimate leave to remain.

James Brokenshire: To your question answered on 7 July 2014, Official Report, column 55W, advised that the rigorous accreditation process that contributed to the success of our Olympic Games in 2012 also applied to those participating in the Commonwealth Games.Comprehensive records checks on all Commonwealth Games participants and Games Family Members were conducted before they were cleared to enter the UK. We also introduced arrangements to confirm that people given Commonwealth Games clearance left the UK within their permitted time limits.a) Over 105,000 Games Family Members (GFMs) were accredited to the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Of these:(i) We have been unable to confirm the departure of 39 GFMs from the UK although this does not mean that they did not leave.(ii) 21 have applied for or been granted asylum(iii) 6 did not depart the UK and have applied or have been granted another form of leave to remainb) People who visited Scotland to watch the Commonwealth Games were treated as visitors to the United Kingdom and as such the normal Immigration Rules applied.

Immigration: Commonwealth

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people from Commonwealth countries were granted indefinite leave to remain in the UK in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13, (d) 2013-14 and (e) 2014-15.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people from Commonwealth countries were refused indefinite leave to remain in the UK in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13, (d) 2013-14 and (e) 2014-15.

James Brokenshire: The available information is given in the table below:Grants and refusals of settlement to Commonwealth citizensYearGrantsRefusals   2010123,9018,865   201190,4375,935   201274,9153,007   201387,6924,818 Data for the calendar year 2014 are planned to be published on 27 August 2014The latest Home Office immigration statistics relating to persons granted and refused settlement (indefinite leave to enter or remain) by nationality are published in the “Immigration Statistics January to March 2015”, (settlement tables se_03 and se_06), available from the Library of the House and the Home Office website: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release

Home Office: Directors

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many non-executive directors of her Department who were in post before May 2015 have since left the Department's board; what the names and length of tenure of such directors were; and how many and what non-executive director appointments she has made since May 2010.

Karen Bradley: None of the Home Office’s non-executive directors who were in post before May 2015 have since left the Department’s board. Since May 2010 the Secretary of State has made 5 non-executive appointments to the departmental board. Further details on the Department’s non-executives are given in the Annual Report & Accounts. The published accounts from 2010 can be accessed via the following links:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/120048/annual-report-201011.pdfhttps://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/143619/annual-report-2011-12.pdfhttps://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/210660/Annual_Report_and_Accounts_FINAL_updated_logo.pdfhttps://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/321446/ARA_web_enabled_18_June.pdf

Police: West Midlands

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2015 to Question 1469, what information her Department has received from chief officers on the number of front-line police officers who will be employed in the West Midlands in each of the next five years.

Mike Penning: Decisions about the size and composition of the police workforce are an operational matter for chief officers, working with their Police and Crime Commissioner.

Refugees: Syria

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 18 June 2015 to Question 2493, what funding the Government has provided to the UK Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation scheme since January 2014.

James Brokenshire: We are unable to provide the information requested as it is a component of the Home Office’s Resource Accounts for 2014-15, which have not yet been published.

Overseas Students

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy not to classify overseas students as immigrants.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Refugees

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many refugees from each country have been accepted by the UK in each of the last five years.

James Brokenshire: Refugee status is conferred following a grant of asylum. An asylum seeker only becomes a refugee once asylum has been granted. Not all asylum seekers are deemed to be refugees and not all refugees claim asylum. The Home Office publishes annual and quarterly statistics on grants of asylum, humanitarian protection, discretionary leave and other grants at initial decision, to main applicants and dependants. The information, broken down by year of application and nationality is available on Table as_02 of the latest release ‘Immigration Statistics, January – March 2015’.[Link to table as_02 below]https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/427906/asylum1-q1-2015-tabs.ods

Police National Database

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether all of the 13.7 million facial images in the Police National Database Custody Suite Photographs held by the National Police Chiefs Council are of individuals convicted of offences; and what proportion of people on that database have no criminal record.

Mike Penning: The Home Office does not hold this information.

Immigrants: English Language

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been arrested in connection with English language test fraud in the latest period for which figures are available; and how many such people were (a) held as an immigration detainee, (b) released and (c) deported.

James Brokenshire: Data on the operational response to the abuse of Secure English Language Testing is published quarterly in the Home Office Transparency data which can be accessed at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/temporary-and-permanent-migration-data-may-2015 The most recent figures are published to the end of Quarter 1 calendar year 2015 and include the number of individuals served removal notices and detained, all of whom will have been arrested, and the number of those who had at some time been detained who had subsequently been removed.

Asylum

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many failed asylum seekers are in the UK; and what the longest period is for which a failed asylum seeker has remained in the UK.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many illegal immigrants are still in the UK following final rejection of their application; and what the longest period is for which an illegal immigrant has remained in the UK.

James Brokenshire: The data requested could be provided only by examining individual case records, which would result in disproportionate cost. It is not possible to accurately quantify the number of immigration offenders in the UK as, by their very nature, those that deliberately evade immigration control to enter and stay in the country illegally are not officially recorded until they come to light and are arrested. Exit Checks were introduced on 8 April 2015 on all scheduled commercial international air, sea and rail routes. Over time, Exit Checks will improve our ability to identify those who have overstayed.

Police: Pensions

Sue Hayman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will issue guidance on the definition of on duty with regard to police officers' widows and widowers pensions.

Mike Penning: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Police: Pensions

Sue Hayman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her policy is on parity between Great Britain and Northern Ireland with regard to police officers' widows and widowers pensions.

Mike Penning: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Police: Pensions

Sue Hayman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her policy is on pensions for police officers' widows and widowers; and if she will make a statement.

Mike Penning: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Domestic Violence: Homicide

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many men were killed by their current or former partner in each of the last five years.

Mike Penning: The available information is given in the table and is taken from the Home Office Homicide Index.Data are based on the number of homicides where the male victim’s relationship to the principal suspect was defined as partner or ex-partner.



Offences recorded as homicide
(Excel SpreadSheet, 36 KB)

Immigration Controls

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to control immigration.

James Brokenshire: The Queen’s Speech set out this Government’s intention to introduce legislation in this session to control immigration. The Immigration Bill will support working people, clamp down on illegal immigration and protect our public services, making sure we put hard working British families first.

Refugees: Syria

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the status is of the Syrian refugee Raja Khouja and her husband Mahmoud Alhassan who are due to be deported to Saudi Arabia on 25 June 2015; and what her policy is on the deportation of individuals to countries which use the death penalty.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Metropolitan Police

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of Metropolitan Police time was spent on the front line in each year since 2008.

Mike Penning: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

British Transport Police: Greater London

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many officers there were in the British Transport Police in London in each year since 2008.

Mike Penning: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Metropolitan Police

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police officers were recruited by the Metropolitan Police Service in each year since 2008; and what proportion of such officers were (i) female and (ii) black and minority ethnic.

Mike Penning: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Metropolitan Police

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of the Metropolitan Police Service were (a) female and (b) black and minority ethnic in each year since 2008.

Mike Penning: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Pay

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many (a) direct employees, (b) agency staff and (c) outsourced staff working for his Department and its subsidiary agencies are paid less than the living wage.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: No direct employees of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) are paid less than the living wage.Agency Workers are engaged through a managed service contract. The minimum hourly rates paid are greater than the Living Wage.A complete record on the pay arrangements for staff employed by companies contracted to provide services to the FCO is not held centrally.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Directors

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many non-executive directors of his Department who were in post before May 2015 have since left the Department's board; what the names and length of tenure of such directors were; and how many and what non-executive director appointments he has made since May 2010.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: No non-executive directors have left the Foreign and Commonwealth Office since May 2015. Since May 2010, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has made three Board level non-executive director appointments, and renewed one contract. These were: 01/11/2011 Richard Lambert (Supervisory Board) 01/12/2011 (contract renewal) Rudy Markham (Supervisory Board, Management Board, Audit and Risk Committee) 01/03/2012 – 31/03/2015 Heather Rabbatts (Supervisory Board) 24/04/2012 Julia Bond (Supervisory Board, Management Board, Senior Appointments Board) In this period the Foreign and Commonwealth Office also recruited two non-executive members to its Audit and Risk Committee. These were: 16/03/2011 Stephen Hawker (Audit and Risk Committee) 16/03/2011 Ann Cormack (Audit and Risk Committee)

Afghanistan: Overseas Aid

Stephen Pound: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what additional aid and assistance is being offered to the government of Afghanistan following the recent attack on the Afghan Parliament.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: I condemned the appalling attacks on the Afghan Parliamant. Such attacks are planned and perpetrated by a brutal minority with the aim of undermining efforts, supported by the majority of Afghan citizens, to rebuild their country, repair the damage done by so many years of violent conflict, and ensure a democratic and peaceful future for all Afghans.Working for a stable and secure Afghanistan able to stand firm against terrorism remains a key UK objective. The UK played a leading role in the International Security Assistance Force mission. With NATO support, the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces now number around 330,000, the strongest in Afghan history. In January 2015 Afghan forces assumed independent responsibility for the country’s security, a significant achievement and a tangible demonstration of the progress achieved to date. The UK is the lead nation for the Afghan National Army Officer Academy.The UK has committed to maintain development support to Afghanistan at its current level - £178 million per year – until at least 2017. This includes a specific programme to support Afghanistan’s political institutions and processes, including Parliament.

EU External Trade: Minerals

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what meetings he had with his counterparts in other EU states on the implementation of effective regulations to ensure EU-based companies do not import minerals from conflict regions.

James Duddridge: Government ministers have held no formal meetings with their EU counterparts on this topic. However, official-level discussions with other Member States have been held regularly since the European Commission published its draft Regulation on the responsible sourcing of minerals in March 2014.

Foreign Trade: Minerals

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effects of the trade in minerals from conflict regions on (a) violence, (b) violence against women and children and (c) displacement of peoples from those regions.

James Duddridge: The presence of mineral resources is one of a number of complex factors which can contribute to instability. The trade in minerals can also be a vital economic resource for conflict-affected and high-risk areas. The challenge is to ensure supply chains are properly managed to address the risk of funding armed conflict, widespread violence or other forms of harm to people, such as their displacement. Women and girls are often disproportionately affected by conflict, and we promote the protection of women in conflict and their participation in conflict resolution processes through the implementation of the UK National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security.

Foreign Trade: Minerals

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that companies based in the UK do not purchase minerals from conflict regions for the manufacture of consumer goods.

James Duddridge: The Government is committed to encouraging wide uptake of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) due diligence guidance on responsible mineral supply chains. This is in line with our G8 commitments. We have regular meetings with UK industry and representative bodies to discuss and encourage the uptake of this guidance. The UK is playing an active role in discussions on the EU Regulation concerning the responsible sourcing of minerals. This aims to give political support to the guidance. It is important that responsible trade continues with conflict-affected and high-risk areas in order to support economic development.

Maldives: Sanctions

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on possible sanctions to be imposed on the Maldives government.

Mr Hugo Swire: We have not discussed the possibility of sanctions with international partners, though we are keeping all options under review. We regularly engage with international partners over our concerns in the Maldives, including working through the Commonwealth and European Union. I spoke to the Commonwealth Secretary-General on 16 June to discuss the situation in the Maldives including the importance of political dialogue. We have noted the European Parliament’s joint motion calling for European action against the Maldives. As the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), said on 24 June there needs to be political dialogue and the release of all political prisoners in the Maldives, including former President Nasheed.

UN International Day of Peace

Dr Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to mark International Day of Peace.

James Duddridge: Consistent with our approach in the last Parliament, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has no formal plans to mark the UN International Day of Peace. However, we remain strongly committed to conflict prevention, peacekeeping and peace-building, including through the United Kingdom’s role as a member of the UN Security Council.

Iran: Nuclear Power

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the proposed parameters of a permanent nuclear deal between Iran and the P5+1 would permit Iran to construct a graphite plutogenic reactor.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We will only agree to a comprehensive deal that has the restrictions and verification measures necessary to reassure the international community that Iran’s nuclear programme is exclusively peaceful, and gives us enough time to respond in the event Iran decides to violate the agreement. However, it remains the Government’s policy not to comment on the detail of the nuclear negotiations while they are continuing.

Palestinians: Prisoners

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's policies of the decision of the Palestinian Authority to pay convicted Palestinian terrorists in Israeli prisons.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Palestinian Authority (PA) payments to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails are made at the request of the Israeli Authorities to meet basic living conditions. No UK or EU money is used for payments to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, or their families. UK funding to the PA is used to pay civil servant salaries only. The UK funds are channelled through a trust fund administered by the World Bank and only named civil servants from a pre-approved list are eligible. The entire process is independently audited, which ensures we know exactly where and how our money is being spent.

Iraq: British Nationals Abroad

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of British nationals identified as missing in Iraq; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We do not hold an accurate figure of British nationals missing in Iraq. Our ability to assist in areas where we advise against travel can be limited. However, we will endeavour to assist where we can.

Electronic Surveillance

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, under what statute was the interception of the communications of the (a) Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights and (b) Legal Resources Centre of South Africa described by the Investigatory Powers Tribunal authorised.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: It is the longstanding policy of successive British governments not to comment on intelligence matters. However, I refer my Rt Hon Friend to the judgment of the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, 22 June 2015, which found that any interception that occurred was lawful and proportionate under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) 2000.

Andargachew Tsege

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the government of Ethiopia on the continued detention without trial and possible torture of the British citizen Andargachew Tsege; and what steps the Government plans to take to ensure Mr Tsege's return home.

James Duddridge: I remain deeply concerned by the continued detention of British national Andargachew Tsege in Ethiopia and about his welfare. Over the last year, there have been numerous discussions between the Ethiopian and UK government regarding Mr Tsege. The Secretary of State for Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon friend, the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Philip Hammond MP) spoke to the Ethiopian Foreign Minister on 24 June and made a public statement on 25 June. He made clear that Ethiopia’s failure to grant our repeated requests was unacceptable, and informed Dr Tedros that the lack of progress in the case risked undermining the UK’s relationship with Ethiopia. We will continue to press the Ethiopian government for regular consular access, for our concerns regarding Mr Tsege’s welfare to be addressed, and for a clear and transparent legal process through which Mr Tsege can challenge his detention.

Andargachew Tsege

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking in the case of Andargachew Tsege held in Ethiopia.

James Duddridge: I remain deeply concerned by the continued detention of British national Andargachew Tsege in Ethiopia and about his welfare. Over the last year, there have been numerous discussions between the Ethiopian and UK government regarding Mr Tsege. The Secretary of State for Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon friend, the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Philip Hammond MP) spoke to the Ethiopian Foreign Minister on 24 June and made a public statement on 25 June. He made clear that Ethiopia’s failure to grant our repeated requests was unacceptable, and informed Dr Tedros that the lack of progress in the case risked undermining the UK’s relationship with Ethiopia. We will continue to press the Ethiopian government for regular consular access, for our concerns regarding Mr Tsege’s welfare to be addressed, and for a clear and transparent legal process through which Mr Tsege can challenge his detention.

Ascension Island: Marine Protected Areas

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will take steps to designate a marine protected area around Ascension Island.

James Duddridge: The Government committed in its 2015 manifesto to “designate a further protected area at Ascension Island, subject to the views of the local community”. Consideration is currently being given to all options for marine management around Ascension Island. Any decision will be based on scientific justification, financial viability, effective enforcement and monitoring.

Andargachew Tsege

Mr David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Ethiopian counterpart on the detention of Andargachew Tsege.

James Duddridge: I remain deeply concerned by the continued detention of British national Andargachew Tsege in Ethiopia and about his welfare. Over the last year, there have been numerous discussions between the Ethiopian and UK government regarding Mr Tsege. The Secretary of State for Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon friend, the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Philip Hammond MP) spoke to the Ethiopian Foreign Minister on 24 June and made a public statement on 25 June. He made clear that Ethiopia’s failure to grant our repeated requests was unacceptable, and informed Dr Tedros that the lack of progress in the case risked undermining the UK’s relationship with Ethiopia. We will continue to press the Ethiopian government for regular consular access, for our concerns regarding Mr Tsege’s welfare to be addressed, and for a clear and transparent legal process through which Mr Tsege can challenge his detention.

Egypt: State Visits

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when the planned visit of President Abdel Fatah ai-Sisi to the UK will take place; whether the Prime Minister plans to discuss the supply of military, security and police equipment to Egypt; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We expect the dates for President Sisi's visit to the UK to be confirmed shortly. An agenda for the visit will be agreed in due course.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office: Buildings

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what proportion of the office space owned or leased by her Department is not in regular use; what the total (a) rental and (b) retail value is of all such office space; and if she will place in the Library a copy of her most recent departmental real estate valuation.

Mrs Theresa Villiers: Following recent accommodation changes in the Northern Ireland Office (NIO), all office space owned or leased by the Department is in regular use.This Government is committed to reducing and rationalising its Estate to improve efficiency and release value. My Department has vacated satellite offices in central Belfast and staff have been relocated within existing premises in the Stormont Estate to ensure that all office space is effectively utilised, whilst ensuring that meeting space is available for ongoing political discussions.The Department’s estate is restricted to Hillsborough Castle and its valuation is disclosed in the NIO Annual Report and Accounts. The most recent copy published is for the financial year ended 31 March 2014 which can be obtained at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/332945/NIO_Annual_Report___Accounts_2013-14.pdf .Further information on the efficiency and sustainability of property in the government’s civil estate is published in the “State of the Estate Report 2013-14” which can be obtained at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/state-of-the-estate-2014.

Parades: Northern Ireland

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions she has had with her Irish counterpart on parades in Northern Ireland.

Mrs Theresa Villiers: In the course of my duties I have regular meetings and maintain regular contact with Ministers from the Irish Government.These meetings and discussions cover a wide range of issues which are relevant to the situation in Northern Ireland at that time; this would sometimes include general conversations on parading. I do not discuss individual Parades Commission determinations with the Irish Government.

Attorney General

Attorney General: Buildings

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Attorney General, what proportion of the office space owned or leased by the Law Officers' Departments is not in regular use; what the total (a) rental and (b) retail value is of all such office space; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the Law Officers' Departments most recent departmental real estate valuation.

Robert Buckland: It would not be in the public interest to disclose any specific retail or real estate valuation information, as this information is commercially sensitive and any disclosure could adversely affect the Government’s future ability to negotiate efficiencies and achieve value for money to the taxpayer.   The Crown Prosecution Service has a total owned and leased estate of 81,085 sq metres. Of that estate 9.3% is currently not in regular use. The total rental cost of those sites not in regular use is £961,235 (ex VAT).   The proportion of the office space owned or leased by The Government Legal Department (GLD) which is not in regular use comprises 9% of the total estate. The rental value of all unused office space is £248,680.69.   Both departments keep their estates under regular review and expect to have significantly reduced the proportion of office space which is not in regular use by December 2016.   The remaining Law Officers’ Departments do not own or lease any property which is not in regular use.

Administration of Justice

Philip Davies: To ask the Attorney General, what estimate he has made of the number of cases which were not able to proceed to their conclusion in (a) Magistrates' and (b) Crown courts as a result of identifiable errors by the Crown Prosecution Service in each of the last three years.

Robert Buckland: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not maintain a central record of the number of cases which were not able to proceed as a result of identifiable errors by the CPS. Obtaining this information would require a manual review of individual case files which would incur a disproportionate cost.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Tickets: Sales

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 15 June 2015 to Question 1895, what funding his Department has allocated to the review of consumer protection measures in the online secondary ticketing market.

Nick Boles: A specific funding allocation has not been made.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Pay

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many (a) direct employees, (b) agency staff and (c) outsourced staff working for his Department and its subsidiary agencies are paid less than the living wage.

Nick Boles: There are no direct employees or agency staff in the core Department paid less than the living wage. We do not centrally hold details of the pay levels of staff working for outsourced companies contracted by the core Department. I have asked Chief Executives of the executive agencies to respond directly to the right Hon. Member.



BIS agencies response to the question
(PDF Document, 1.1 MB)




Ordnance Survey response to the question
(PDF Document, 238.75 KB)

Prisons: Higher Education

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much has been (a) given to and (b) recovered from prisoners in tuition fee loans taken out since September 2012.

Joseph Johnson: The Student Loans Company (SLC) administers and collects information on student support for each of the UK Government Administrations. In February 2015, the SLC responded to the Freedom of Information (FOI) request: How many prisoners have received student finance in the UK in the past three years, and how much has been paid? The response provided can be found at the following link: http://www.slc.co.uk/media/886467/foi_response_199-14.pdf Information on the tuition fee loans recovered from these prisoners could only be provided at a disproportionate cost.

Students: Finance

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what his policy is on maintaining the student opportunity allocation in its current form.

Joseph Johnson: Widening participation in higher education remains a priority for this Government. The Prime Minister has committed to doubling the proportion of people from disadvantaged backgrounds entering higher education by the end of this Parliament from 2009 levels. We are reviewing all areas of the Department’s expenditure as part of our preparations for the spending review and no decisions have yet been taken on any funding streams beyond 2015-16.

Foreign Companies: Minerals

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether his Department collects information on the number of companies based in the UK which use (a) tin, (b) tungsten, (c) tantalum and (d) gold in the manufacture of consumer products.

Anna Soubry: My Department does not currently collect this information.

Science: Finance

Stuart Andrew: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what his policy is on the future of ring-fencing science revenue spending.

Stuart Andrew: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much his Department has spent on investment on science in Yorkshire in each of the last five years; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of that investment in boosting the economy in Yorkshire.

Stuart Andrew: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the relationship between ring-fencing his Department's science budget and the UK's science research capability.

Nick Boles: This Government recognises the value of science and innovation as a crucial driver of UK economic success. We protected the science ring-fence over the last Parliament and are investing £6.9 billion in science capital from this year to 2021, including £2.9 billion on Grand Challenges at the forefront of global research. A Spending Review later this year will examine where best to make robust investments in science and research that bring economic growth.   We are not able to provide an assessment of the effectiveness of science investment specific to Yorkshire but research suggests that the returns on public investment are high and that for every one pound the government spends on research and development, private sector productivity rises by twenty pence per year in perpetuity. There is also evidence that public sector investment leverages in additional private sector investment.   This Government is committed to rebalancing the economy of our country and building a Northern Powerhouse. Science in Yorkshire is benefiting from a range of initiatives including the recent Engineering and Physical Science Council’s £24M investment in a Quantum Technology Hub based in York – designed to exploit an expanding area of technological development. The table below provides breakdown of investment over the last five years for which we have data. RCUK Regional and Devolved Administration Spend 2005/06-2013/14 (£k) Yorkshire & Humberside 2013-142012-132011-122010-112009-10 151,183137,486139,644135,528142,005

Insolvency

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what average time is taken for payments to be made to people who make a claim against the Insolvency Service's Redundancy Payments Office.

Anna Soubry: The average time for repayment of claims by the Insolvency Service’s Redundancy Payments Service is 16 calendar days from receipt.

Vocational Training

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what forecast he has made of the number of adults who will be participating in non-apprenticeship vocational training by 2020.

Nick Boles: The Department does not produce forecasts for Further Education & Skills learner numbers.

Apprentices: West Midlands

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what representations he has received from businesses in (a) Coventry and (b) the West Midlands on the availability of apprenticeships; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Boles: The Department of Business Innovation and Skills regularly receives representations from a wide variety of hon Members, employers, education and training providers and individuals in the public and private sectors, as part of the process of policy development and delivery of apprenticeships matters.

Apprentices: Coventry

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2015, to Question 892, what proportion of apprenticeship starts in Coventry were given to people aged over 18.

Nick Boles: Table 1 below shows the proportion of Apprenticeship starts in Coventry that were undertaken by those aged 19 and over from 2009/10 to 2013/14.   Table 1: Apprenticeship Programme Starts in Coventry by Age (2009/10 to 2013/14)2009/102010/112011/122012/132013/14 19+1,0302,3402,7202,9202,190 All ages1,8203,1503,8003,6502,940 Proportion aged 19+56.8%74.2%71.6%80.0%74.5% Notes:  (1) The data source is the Individualised Learner Record (ILR).  (2) Volumes are rounded to the nearest ten; percentages are calculated on pre-rounded data.(3) Apprenticeship starts include all funded and unfunded learners reported on the ILR.(4) Age is calculated based on age at start of the programme.  (5) Volumes are a count of the number of starts at any point during the year. Learners starting more than one Apprenticeship will appear more than once.

Voluntary Work: Leave

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when he will bring forward plans to give staff an additional three days of paid leave for volunteering; what estimate he has made of the potential cost of this policy to the (a) private sector and (b) public sector; and how many staff in the (i) private sector and (ii) public sector would be granted such additional paid leave.

Nick Boles: My Department will publish proposals for consultation in due course, including an impact assessment on which we will welcome comments.

Energy: Competition

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the cost of the Competition and Markets Authority energy market investigation has been to date.

Nick Boles: The cost to the Competition and Markets Authority of its investigation into the supply and acquisition of energy in Great Britain was around £2,478,000, as at 31 May 2015.

Business: Innovation

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will take steps to ensure that the work of Innovate UK in supporting business-led innovation benefits all areas of the UK.

Nick Boles: Innovate UK operates across the whole of the UK to stimulate technology development and innovation. Its competitions, which help develop ideas into successful products and services, are open to all UK based companies.   Innovate UK has developed strong relationships with local organisations interested in driving innovation across the UK. In Northern Ireland, Innovate UK has instigated several specialist delegations to engage with businesses and government. It is working with Invest NI, DETI, Universities and others to increase awareness of its programmes so that more applications for funding are received from Northern Irish businesses.

UK Membership of EU

Mr Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions he has had with the Foreign Secretary on the potential effect on British companies of the UK leaving the EU.

Anna Soubry: My Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, meets the Foreign Secretary regularly on a whole range of issues. The Government has a clear mandate to improve Britain’s relationship with the rest of the European Union, and to reform the EU so that it creates jobs and increases living standards for all its citizens. The CBI and BCC have come out to say they support the reform agenda the PM is seeking to deliver. The Prime Minister is focused on success: he believes he can and will succeed in reforming and renegotiating our relationship with the EU and campaigning to keep the UK in the EU on that basis.

Department for International Development

Tanzania: Overseas Aid

Ms Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her Department's policies of the findings of Irresponsible Investment: Agrica's broken development model in Tanzania, published on 17 June 2015 by Global Justice Now, the Oakland Institute and Greenpeace Africa.

Grant Shapps: DFID takes any allegation of mistreatment seriously and where there is firm evidence of abuse we will take immediate action. Assessing the environmental, social and governance (ESG) safeguard standards is critical for investments in private entities. In this case, we reviewed the systems that our intermediary put in place to assess the standards and practices of their investment. Our initial findings are that the intermediary through which DFID funds flowed applied International Finance Corporation safeguard standards and found that Agrica had complied with them.

Department for International Development: Buildings

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proportion of the office space owned or leased by her Department is not in regular use; what the total (a) rental and (b) retail value is of all such office space; and if she will place in the Library a copy of her most recent departmental real estate valuation.

Grant Shapps: DFID occupies two buildings in the UK, one in Whitehall, London and the other in East Kilbride. We hold the leasehold on both properties and therefore no rent is paid.

Developing Countries: Renewable Energy

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proportion of her Department's overseas aid budget is allocated to green energy projects in 2015-16.

Grant Shapps: The UK supports low carbon development though the International Climate Fund to help the poorest countries boost their economies and tackle poverty. Overall, the ICF makes up 7% of the UK aid budget. Of the total ICF budget 55% has been allocated to climate mitigation programmes, which are predominately related to clean energy, as well as energy efficiency and related activities.  DFID will coordinate and scale up efforts to deliver energy to the 1.2 billion people worldwide with no access to electricity, with a particular focus on the more than 660 million people in Africa without access.

Department for International Development: Directors

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many non-executive directors of her Department who were in post before May 2015 have since left the Department's board; what the names and length of tenure of such directors were; and how many and what non-executive director appointments she has made since May 2010.

Grant Shapps: DFID’s non-executive directors who were in post before 2015 have remained as part of the Departmental Board.

Independent Commission for Aid Impact

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what effect the auditing of her Department's projects by the Independent Commission for Aid Impact has had on the performance of her Department's projects.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) does not audit DFID projects. Instead ICAI produces detailed studies covering the impact of any UK Overseas Development Assistance (ODA). DFID takes the work of ICAI very seriously. The specific impact of ICAI’s work varies from report to report but as ICAI noted in their Follow-up report published in June 2015 “Country offices and teams within DFID centrally have both in their approach and in the actions taken, shown in most cases a serious intent to address the issues we have raised”.

Independent Commission for Aid Impact

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much her Department spent on the Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) in the last year; how often the ICAI audits the projects of her Department; and under what criteria such audits are carried out.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) does not audit DFID projects, this is the responsibility of DFID’s Internal Audit Department. Instead ICAI produces detailed studies covering the impact of any UK Overseas Development Assistance (ODA). The criteria for selecting studies is entirely ICAI’s concern as an independent body. They develop plans based on their criteria including coverage, materiality, interest and risk and also after public consultation. Priorities are agreed with the International Development Committee (IDC). In 2014/15 ICAI’s expenditure was £3.4m. Since May 2011 ICAI has published 46 reports.

Independent Commission for Aid Impact

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how the reports, evidence and recommendations of the Independent Commission for Aid Impact are scrutinised within her Department.

Mr Desmond Swayne: DFID takes the work of Independent Commission on Aid Impact (ICAI) very seriously. Each study and follow up activity is overseen by a senior civil servant in DFID. ICAI reports are communicated to all relevant staff and published on DFID’s intranet. The Department then publishes a response, agreed by Ministers, to every ICAI recommendation setting out specific actions it will take. The Department also publishes an annual update on progress against previous recommendations online.  As ICAI noted in their follow-up report published in June 2015, “Country offices and teams within DFID centrally have both in their approach and in the actions taken, shown in most cases a serious intent to address the issues we have raised”.

Pitcairn Islands

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to sustain the outside contact enjoyed by the population of the Pitcairn Islands.

Mr Desmond Swayne: DFID provides funding to ensure regular access to Pitcairn through a dedicated freight and passenger shipping service which visits the islands four times a year. DFID also supports the provision of telephone and internet facilities on the island.

Africa: Unemployment

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to help reduce youth unemployment in (a) Ghana, (b) Kenya and (c) South Africa.

Grant Shapps: Helping young people in Africa to find a decent job is an important component of DFID’s work for promoting economic growth and private sector development. In Ghana, the Enhancing Growth in New Enterprises (ENGINE) programme is supporting over 200 small and medium businesses, the majority of which are owned by entrepreneurs under 35 years old. Other programmes including the enterprise development programme, the Western Regional Coastal Foundation (WRCF) and the Campaign for Female Education (CAMFED), are also contributing to youth employment. In Kenya, 8000 young people will benefit from new skills under the £5m Mombasa County Youth Employment programme. In South Africa, though our bilateral programme has now closed, by 2014, DFID contributed to 112,327 jobs being created or saved, through: support to the Community Work Programme; youth employment schemes; a training scheme for workers at risk of redundancy; and measures to help firms become more competitive.  Details of the programmes can be found on DevTracker.

Africa: Small Businesses

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to implement her Department's Start-Up initiative in (a) Ghana, (b) Kenya and (c) South Africa.

Grant Shapps: The Start Up! Initiative was an idea worked up by DFID staff to improve the provision of financing and capacity building activities for early-stage firms in sub-Saharan Africa. Last year a decision was taken by the Department not to take the programme forward to implementation as a multi-country initiative. However, although the multi-country programme is not going ahead, the DFID country offices in Kenya and Ghana continue to work on providing direct support to entrepreneurs, particularly in the agribusiness and clean energy sectors.  In Ghana, DFID is supporting a programme to equip micro and small enterprises with the necessary skills and resources to improve their business plans and internal operations. The programme provides grant funding, mentoring and business development services to 500 of the most promising firms. In Kenya, DFID has helped to launch the Kenya Climate Innovation Centre (KCIC) to support the development of innovative ‘clean-tech’ businesses and technologies. The KCIC provides technologists, entrepreneurs and new ventures with technical assistance for capacity building and access to early-stage financing to overcome market barriers, with the aim of rapidly scaling and deploying innovative products and services.

Overseas Aid: Companies

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which 20 companies were awarded the most funding by her Department for technical and advisory services in each of the last five years.

Grant Shapps: DFID publishes full contract information on the Contracts Finder website: https://online.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk/.

Palestinians: Overseas Aid

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what processes are in place to ensure that (a) people and (b) non-governmental organisations in the Palestinian territories receiving UK aid payments are not associated with terrorist organisations.

Mr Desmond Swayne: DFID’s work in the Occupied Palestinian Territories is channelled through trusted partners including the UN, the Palestinian Authority and non-governmental organisations. We continue to take extensive precautions to ensure that UK support conforms with European Union and UK legislation on terrorist financing, and that Hamas does not derive any financial benefit from our projects.

Overseas Aid

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she plans to take to produce reports showing how UK aid is (a) effective and (b) value for money on a country by country basis; and if she will make it her policy such that reports are produced by organisations independent of her Department.

Mr Desmond Swayne: DFID has robust processes to make sure programmes are effective and offer value for money. These include a full value for money assessment in every project business case, which is then reviewed throughout the life of the project alongside robust performance frameworks. The Independent Commission on Aid Impact already provides independent scrutiny of UK aid to make sure it represents value for money. Independent evaluations of DFID programmes are also commissioned at the discretion of country teams and then published. There are no plans for additional country by country reporting.

Department for Education

Sixth Form Colleges: VAT

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reason the Government decided not to provide VAT rebates for sixth form colleges along with VAT rebates for sixth forms in state schools as well as academies and other free school variants.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Sixth form colleges (SFCs) do not qualify for VAT refunds as they are not part of local government, nor are they academies. The VAT treatment of SFCs is determined by their classification, which is designated by the Office for National Statistics. Colleges, including SFCs, have been liable for VAT since they ceased to be part of the local government sector in 1993. In order for SFCs to be classified differently significant changes to their governance, accountability and administration (i.e. in the direction of greater central government control) would be required, which may not be a route that SFCs wish to take. At the end of any such restructuring, the ONS would review how to reclassify the SFC. There is the possibility that, even after such changes, the ONS would not necessarily change their classification to one where it was possible for them to reclaim VAT.Decisions regarding future 16 to 19 funding will be subject to the outcome of the next spending round where this decision may be revisited.

Languages: GCE A-level

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on plans by awarding organisations to offer A levels in (a) Polish, (b) Gujarati, (c) Panjabi, (d) Bengali, (e) Turkish, (f) Urdu and (g) Modern Hebrew; and whether she plans to consult on the future availability of such qualifications in those subjects.

Nick Gibb: The department is aware of the awarding organisations’ plans to withdraw qualifications in particular languages, and is working with those organisations and Ofqual to consider how best to enable as wide a range of languages as possible to be maintained at GCSE and A level.  The government wants to see all pupils provided with the opportunity to take a core set of academic subjects, including modern foreign languages. The number of pupils entering for a modern language GCSE has increased by 20% since 2010. There are considerable benefits to learning a second language, and the government is keen to see the range of languages at GCSE and A level preserved. To this end, the Secretary of State has written to all the exam boards to express her concern about their decision to stop awarding qualifications in some languages. She has asked the awarding organisations to continue to work with Ofqual and will launch a consultation on how best to secure the future availability of these qualifications.

Educational Psychology

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 4 June 2015 to Question 333, what guidance her Department issues to local authorities on the employment of educational psychologists.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Department for Education does not issue guidance to local authorities on the employment of educational psychologists. Educational psychologists have a duty to provide psychological advice into the new Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans and review process (Children and Families Act 2014).

Ministry of Justice

Ministry of Justice: Pay

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) direct employees, (b) agency staff and (c) outsourced staff working for his Department and its subsidiary agencies are paid less than the living wage.

Caroline Dinenage: Further to my answer at Ministry of Justice Orals on 23 June 2015, all civil servants within the Ministry of Justice and its agencies excluding the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) were paid above the rate defined by the Living Wage Foundation as a living wage on 1 August 2014. As of 31 March 2015, after the Foundation increased the rate in November 2014, 283 staff out of 23,598 direct employees within the Ministry of Justice HQ, HM Courts and Tribunal Service, Office of the Public Guardian and Legal Aid Agency were paid below the current living wage. As of 31 March 2015, there were 89 members of staff who currently earn below the living wage out of a total of 46,442 direct employees in NOMS (including the National Probation Service). The Secretary of State would like all MoJ staff to be paid at least the current living wage. The department is working to implement this as soon as possible. Information on contractors paid less than the rate defined by the Living Wage Foundation as a living wage is not recorded centrally.

Crime: Victims

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will issue guidance to court users on the appropriateness of the use of the term victim to describe a complainant in a court case at the pre-conviction stage of proceedings.

Mike Penning: The Ministry of Justice has no current plans to issue such guidance.

Prisoners: Gambling

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what programmes are available in the prison service to help prisoners with gambling problems.

Andrew Selous: The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) commissions providers to deliver a broad range of high quality, accredited, interventions to address the particular risks and needs of offenders. With the introduction of “Through the Gate” services in May 2015, all prisoners irrespective of their sentence length are screened on entering prison for issues including debt and offered a package of support in prisons and on release to address their offending based on individual circumstances. Support available to problem gamblers includes debt advice but could also include referral to specialist organisations such as Gamblers Anonymous or Gamcare, as well as services provided through the chaplaincy and the Offender Learning and Skills Service (OLASS) such as money management courses. In addition, all prisoners are seen by healthcare services on reception and can be referred to mental health and addiction services to help address problem gambling.

Ministry of Justice: Directors

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many non-executive directors of his Department who were in post before May 2015 have since left the Department's board; what the names and length of tenure of such directors were; and how many and what non-executive director appointments he has made since May 2010.

Caroline Dinenage: Information on non-executive board member appointments is included in my department's Annual Report & Accounts, the latest of which was published on 10 June 2015 and is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/434016/moj-annual-report-and-accounts-2014-15.pdf Details of appointments since May 2010 are available in previous years’ Annual Reports, which can be found at: 2010/11: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/217243/moj-annual-report-accounts-2010-11.pdf 2011/12:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/217275/moj-annual-report-accounts-2011-12.pdf 2012/13:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/208728/moj-annual-report-2012-13.pdf 2013/14:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/323308/moj-annual-report-2013-14.pdf

Prisoners

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the trends in the prison population for (a) male and (b) female prisoners over the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Selous: The MoJ regularly publishes a range of statistics on the prison population alongside appropriate commentary discussing long term trends. Every three months, the MoJ publishes “Offender Management Statistics Quarterly” which looks at more recent trends in the prison population. The most recent edition of this publication covers the period from March 2014 to March 2015. This is available at the link below:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/offender-management-statistics-quarterly-october-to-december-2014-and-annualAdditionally, as part of the edition published in July each year, a set of tables looking at long term trends in the prison population since the year 2002 are published. These were last published in July 2014, covering the period from June 2002 to June 2014. This document is available at the link below:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/339036/prison-population-2014.xls Biannually, the MoJ publishes “Women and the Criminal Justice System”. Chapter 8 of this report considers the prison population. This document is available at the link below:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/women-and-the-criminal-justice-system-2013

Magistrates' Courts: Aldershot

Mr Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people appeared at Aldershot Magistrates' Court in respect of traffic offences in each of the last three years (a) in total and (b) who are resident on the Isle of Wight; and if he will estimate the average travelling time for residents of the Isle of Wight to attend that court.

Mr Shailesh Vara: Most traffic cases are dealt with on the papers and the defendant does not need to attend court. Data is not collected on how many people appeared at court for the hearing of their case, or on their place of residence. Average travel times for residents of the Isle of Wight are approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes by car and 4 hours by public transport, although times vary depending on where on the Isle of Wight a defendant lives.

Secure Colleges

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much has been spent by his Department on the development and implementation of plans for a secure college.

Andrew Selous: I refer the honourable member to the Secretary of State's answer on this subject in oral Parliamentary Questions on 23 June this year.

Prisoners: Death

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners have died in each prison in each of the last six months.

Andrew Selous: The number of deaths in custody has increased in recent years, as the prison population and the proportion of older prisoners within it have increased. The table attached shows the number of prisoners who have died in each prison in each of the last six months for which annual data has been published. The annual information on deaths in each prison is published in the Safety in Custody statistics available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/safety-in-custody-quarterly-update-to-december-2014-and-annual



Deaths in Custody
(Excel SpreadSheet, 28 KB)

Prisoners: Death

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many deaths in custody are under investigation by police as suspected homicide.

Andrew Selous: Every death in custody is subject to investigation by the police. The decisions as to whether or not to treat a particular death as a suspected homicide, and what information to disclose about the status of each ongoing investigation, are matters for the relevant police authorities in each case.

Prisons: Homicide

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many homicides in prison have taken place in each of the last 10 years.

Andrew Selous: This information is published in the Safety in Custody statistics available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/safety-in-custody-quarterly-update-to-december-2014-and-annual

Shared Services Connected: Newport

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assurance he has received from Steria that work and jobs at the Newport shared services centre will not be off-shored.

Mike Penning: How Sahared Services Connected Limited manage their workforce is an operational issue for them as employers. Newport Shared Services staff are no longer civil servants.

Church Commissioners

Church of England: Peterborough

Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, whether the Church Commissioners plan to dispose of land for residential development at (a) Paston Reserve and (b) Norwood in Gunthorpe, Peterborough; and if she will make a statement.

Mrs Caroline Spelman: The Church Commissioners have two strategic land sites at Peterborough; Paston Reserve and Norwood. Both sites are allocated as residential urban extension sites in Peterborough City Council’s adopted Core Strategy and Site Allocations Development Plan Documents. It is the Commissioners’ intention, over the long term, to make these sites available to facilitate the delivery of housing and other infrastructure. Paston Reserve currently has planning permission for 1,050 houses, local facilities (including a primary school), open space and other infrastructure. Development of the first residential phase started on site in 2014, and comprises 87 houses. The first houses on site were sold by the developer, Keepmoat, in early 2015. Discussions in regard to a second phase of development are currently underway.With respect to Norwood, the Commissioners worked with the local planning authority through the development plan process, which saw the site’s allocation for 2,300 new houses, and are committed to bringing forward the land for development. Pre-application work is currently being progressed with the other landowners across the site and initial discussions have been had with Peterborough City Council about the site’s delivery and potential timescales for an outline planning application.

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence: Pay

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) direct employees, (b) agency staff and (c) outsourced staff working for his Department and its subsidiary agencies are paid less than the living wage.

Mark Lancaster: The information requested is shown below. Contracted workers' rates of pay, where paid by their parent company or recruitment agency, are not visible to the Ministry of Defence (MOD).London Living Wage (£9.15 per hour) MOD (London)39  National Living Wage (£7.85 per hour) MOD (outside London)1,159Defence Science & Technology Laboratory8United Kingdom Hydrographic Office12Defence Electronics and Components Agency0

Ministry of Defence Police

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, to what ongoing tasks in which countries the Ministry of Defence Police Special Escort Group have been assigned.

Mark Lancaster: This information is being withheld for the purpose of safeguarding national security.

Ministry of Defence: Buildings

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of the office space owned or leased by his Department is not in regular use; what the total (a) rental and (b) retail value is of all such office space; and if he will place in the Library a copy of his most recent departmental real estate valuation.

Mark Lancaster: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the then Minister for International Security Strategy (Dr Andrew Murrison) on 12 February 2014 (Official Report, column 698W). 



Buildings
(Word Document, 24 KB)

Armed Forces Covenant

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make it his policy that all government procurement contracts for goods and services include an obligation to sign up to and fulfil the armed forces corporation covenant.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Corporate Covenant provides an excellent opportunity for businesses and other organisations to declare their support for members of the Armed Forces community. To date, across the UK, more than 590 companies have pledged their support and the number is growing steadily. The Secretary of State for Defence has written to the FTSE 350 companies to challenge them to sign the Corporate Covenent.European Union (EU) procurement law does not permit the contract award procedure or any contract condition to discriminate against any supplier in the EU. An obligation to sign up and fulfil the Corporate Covenant is likely to disadvantage suppliers outside the UK, although we encourage potential suppliers to sign up to the pledge in every invitation to tender we issue. This is a voluntary approach that allows each organisation to reach their own decisions about the level of support they provide.

Marshall of Cambridge (Engineering)

George Kerevan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions his Department has had with ADG Systems on employing that company's ex-RAF L1011 Tristar aircraft for military contract duties on behalf of the UK Government.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Ministry of Defence has had no discussions with AGD Systems about a charter arrangement for ex-RAF TriStar aircraft.

Libya: Military Bases

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will (a) issue a press release and (b) write to Cambridge City Council to explain for what reasons after conducting a risk assessment his Department decided to base Libyan personnel at Bassingbourn; and if he will make a statement.

Penny Mordaunt: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my predecessor (Mark Francois) on 3 March 2015 to Question 219659.



219659 - Q n A extract on Libya
(Word Document, 26 KB)

Ministry of Defence: Directors

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many non-executive directors of his Department who were in post before May 2015 have since left the Department's board; what the names and length of tenure of such directors were; and how many and what non-executive director appointments he has made since May 2010.

Mark Lancaster: None of the non-executive directors in post prior to May 2015 have since left the Department's Defence Board.Since May 2010 there has been one extension and four new appointments to the Defence Board by the Secretary of State for Defence:Mrs Priscilla Vacassin - Defence Board Non-Executive Director (extended in post in 2010).Sir Gerry Grimstone - Lead Non-Executive Director for the Ministry of Defence.Mr Graham Williams - Defence Board Non-Executive Director.Mr Paul Skinner - Defence Board Non-Executive Director.Mrs Danuta Gray - Defence Board Non-Executive Director.

Afghanistan: Military Aid

Stephen Pound: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what additional military training or assistance is being offered to the government of Afghanistan following the recent attack on the Afghan Parliament.

Penny Mordaunt: We strongly condemn Monday's attack on Afghan democracy.The Afghan security forces responded positively to the incident and secured the Parliamentary site. They have held lead responsibility for security across Afghanistan since July 2013.Alongside partners , the UK continues to make an important contribution to advising Afghanistan on security development through NATO's mission. The UK's focus is on institutional capacity building, including supporting the training of the next generation of Afghan Army officers.

Colombia: Armed Forces

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many armed forces personnel travelled to Colombia in 2014.

Penny Mordaunt: Our records show that 22 Service personnel travelled to Colombia during 2014 for visits designed to further the defence relationship with Colombia through: defence education; transformation of the Colombian defence organisation; international law and post-conflict transition. In addition HMS Richmond, HMS Portland and HMS Argyll visited Colombia during 2014.

Ministry of Defence: Finance

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 22 June 2015, to Question 3007, when he will announce further details of by how much running costs will be reduced on (a) consultants, (b) overtime and travel, (c) re-profiting of equipment and (d) infrastructure spend in 2015-16; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: I have nothing further to add to the answer I gave on 22 June 2015 to Question 3007. 



Ministry of Defence: Cost Effectiveness
(Word Document, 34 KB)

Armed Forces: Private Education

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on private school fees for the families of armed forces personnel in each year since 2010; and how much his Department has spent on each such educational establishment in that time.

Mark Lancaster: The information requested in relation to school fees is provided in the table below. Information relating to individual schools could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Continuity of Education (CEA) allowance is provided to assist Service personnel to achieve continuity of education for their children that would otherwise be denied if their children accompanied them on frequent and consecutive assignments. These payments are made by the Ministry of Defence to individual Service personnel claimants, and not to the educational establishments/schools attended by the children to whom the claims relate. The coalition Government reviewed this scheme as part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review and in December 2010 made changes which have delivered savings of £20 million each year and an associated reduction in claimants compared to the cost of the scheme as inherited in 2010. Spend by financial year on CEA including special educational needs supplement and payment of income tax liability. Financial YearFY 2009-10FY 2010-11FY 2011-12FY 2012-13FY 2013-14FY 2014-15Cost(£ million)110.9114.5110.898.989.384.5Claimants6,0206,0905,6804,9504,3003,880

Ministry of Defence: Official Cars

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the make and model is of each of the official cars his Department provides for (a) senior military personnel and (b) Ministers.

Mr Philip Dunne: The following makes and models of allocated and pool cars are provided by the Department for senior military personnel and Ministers: Ford Galaxy, Ford Mondeo, Honda Accord, Honda Civic, Skoda Superb, Toyota Avensis and Volkswagen Passat.

Ministry of Defence: Meat Products

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the source of origin is of the meat and poultry products procured by his Department.

Mr Philip Dunne: Information on the origin of meat and poultry purchased is not held by the Ministry of Defence (MOD).MOD personnel in the UK and permanent bases overseas are served through a number of catering contracts. Armed Forces personnel serving on operations, overseas exercises and on Her Majesty's Ships are catered for under a single food contract with Purple Foodservice Solutions Ltd.Purple Foodservice list approximately 1,150 different food-related items for the Armed Forces in the core range price list. Currently, they estimate that approximately 60% of lines listed, excluding fresh produce, are sourced from suppliers within the UK.I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 4 June 2013 (Official Report, column 1116W) to the hon. Member for Richmond Park (Zac Goldsmith).



20130604 - Hansard extract on Armed Foeces Food
(Word Document, 24.5 KB)

Hyde Park Barracks

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with which consortia his Department has had discussions on the possible redevelopment of the Hyde Park Barracks site; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Lancaster: None.

Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with (a) London local authorities, (b) the Royal Parks and (c) the Mayor of London on the construction of a new barracks for the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence continues to engage with key stakeholders while we explore the possibility of reprovision for the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment.

Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which sites he is considering for the future location of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment.

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment his Department has made of the condition of Wellington Barracks; and what plans he has for the future use of those barracks.

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the cost of building a new barracks to relocate the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment within London; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence has commissioned a review into reprovision of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment that will investigate, amongst other things, the issues raised by the right hon. Member.

Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what criteria he is using to decide the future location of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment.

Mark Lancaster: The review is dependent on finding a solution that meets the operational constraints for State Ceremonial and Public Duty.

Armed Forces: Mass Media

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what rules apply to media interviews with (a) service personnel dealing with nuclear weapons and (b) other serving military personnel.

Michael Fallon: The policy governing contact with the media for all serving Defence personnel can be found in Defence Instruction Notice 2014DIN03-024: Contact with the Media and Communicating in Public, which is publicly available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/351363/2014DIN03-024_Redacted-clean.pdf.

Hyde Park Barracks

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with English Heritage on the possible listing of Hyde Park Barracks; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence has applied for an Immunity from Listing for the Barracks and has made representations regarding the application for Listing of the site submitted by the 20th Century Society.English Heritage have made a recommendation to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport and a decision on the future status of the site is awaited.

Hyde Park Barracks

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will place in the Library a copy of the lease from the Royal Parks for the Hyde Park Barracks site.

Mark Lancaster: The site is held under an 1879 Act of Parliament and therefore no lease exists.

Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to relocate the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment to Regent's Park Barracks; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his plans are for the future of Hyde Park Barracks; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the size of site needed to accommodate the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment elsewhere in London; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence has commissioned a review into reprovision of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment and the future of Hyde Park Barracks.

Military Bases: Greater London

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the value of (a) Hyde Park Barracks and (b) Regent's Park Barracks.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence received valuation reports for Hyde Park Barracks and Regent's Park Barracks in 2013. These valuations will not be released as they are commercially sensitive and to do so would prejudice commercial interests.

Ministry of Defence: Stamp Duties

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department paid in stamp duty in each financial year between 2000-01 and 2014-15.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence has not made any stamp duty payments.

Malaria: Drugs

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 1 June 2015 to Question 126 and the Answer of 24 June 2015 to Question 2877, if he will place in the Library the (a) correspondence and (b) minutes of meetings between 2010 and 2015 between his Department and Public Health England Advisory Committee on malaria prevention in relation to the use of Lariam or Mefloquine and reports of (i) hallucinations, (ii) psychosis and (iii) suicidal thoughts in personnel prescribed those medications.

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 1 June 2015 to Question 126 and the Answer of 24 June 2015 to Question 2877, when he became aware that he had no correspondence between Public Health England and his Department on hallucinations, psychosis or suicidal thoughts in personnel prescribed Mefloquine or Lariam; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Lancaster: I have today placed in the Library a copy of the relevant sections of minutes of meetings held between 2010 and 2015 by the Public Health England Advisory Committee on Malaria Prevention, at which a Ministry of Defence representative was present, in relation to the use of mefloquine (commercial name Lariam).Following an extensive search by officials, that concluded on 22 June 2015, it is apparent that the Department does not hold any correspondence between Public Health England and the Ministry of Defence on hallucinations, psychosis or suicidal thoughts in personnel prescribed mefloquine. 



4194 - Relevant minutes of meetings of PHE and MOD
(PDF Document, 141.17 KB)

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many recruits to (a) the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, (b) RAF Cranwell and (c) Britannia Royal Naval College attended (i) state and (ii) independent secondary educational institutions in each year since 2010.

Mr Julian Brazier: Information on the status of schools attended by recruits at Officer Training Establishments is not recorded centrally. However, the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst does ask each recruit to provide this information, this is provided in the table. Education background of recruits to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst by calendar year. YearStateIndependentNotes2010430300 2011420330 2012320270 2013330250 2014300210 20152101303rd Intake will start September 2015 Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10; numbers ending in 5 have been rounded to the nearest 20 to prevent systematic bias.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether badger culls have been conducted on land owned by his Department.

Mark Lancaster: No.

Foxes: Hunting

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether any fox hunting has been conducted on land owned by his Department since 2010.

Mark Lancaster: No fox-hunting has taken place on Ministry of Defence land since 2010.

Deer: Hunting

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether any deer stalking has been conducted on land owned by his Department since 2010.

Mark Lancaster: Recreational deer stalking is not permitted on Ministry of Defence (MOD) land.The MOD undertakes sustainable deer management ensuring that wild deer populations are both healthy and in balance with their environment

Department for Work and Pensions

Department for Work and Pensions: Buildings

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of the office space owned or leased by his Department is not in regular use; what the total (a) rental and (b) retail value is of all such office space; and if he will place in the Library a copy of his most recent departmental real estate valuation.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department for Work and Pensions does not own any buildings. The Department’s estate was sold (freehold, feuhold and long leasehold interests) or transferred (short leasehold interests) to Telereal Trillium under a PFI contract known as “PRIME” in 1998 and further in 2003. The proportion of leasehold space which is not in regular use is approximately 2 per cent of the total estate of 1,482,959 sqm that the Department occupies. All such space is registered on the Government Property Unit’s database e-PIMS. The usage of the estate is under constant review and its use changes with the needs of the business. The Government's top priority for surplus space is to reduce property costs by exiting leasehold agreements, selling freeholds or by sub-letting to external tenants. As part of the Government’s Strategic Land and Property Review (SLPR), Departments have already committed to reforms expected to release land worth £3.5 billion between 2015 and 2020, with a further £1.5 billion expected to be identified following the outcome of operational reviews. This was updated at Autumn Statement, with a new ambition of releasing land to the value of £5 - 6 billion. GPU has created a portal - Find Me Some Government Space (https://www.gov.uk/find-government-property) - for more efficient marketing of surplus land and buildings. This is searchable by developers, community groups and the general public. Further information on the efficiency and sustainability of property in the Government's civil estate is published in our State of the Estate Report 2013 - 2014 available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/state-of-the-estate-2014  I am advised that it is not in the public interest to disclose rental, retail or real estate valuation information, so will not be placing a copy of this information in the Library. This information is commercially sensitive and any disclosure would adversely affect the Government’s future ability to negotiate efficiencies and achieve value for money to the taxpayer.

Disability

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make it his policy to maintain the level of (a) services used and (b) benefits claimed by disabled people.

Justin Tomlinson: The Government is absolutely committed to supporting disabled people, to improving the quality of life of those facing disadvantage and to tackling poverty by addressing the causes driving it. We spent nearly £50 billion on disability benefits and services in 2012/13. We will continue to support disabled and vulnerable people, providing a strong welfare safety net for those in need. Overall spending on the main disability benefits is forecast to be higher in every year to 2017-18 than it was in 2009-10. In the last 12 months the number of working age disabled people in work has increased by 238,000. Many disabled people can work, want to work, and need our support to get into work. We are also committed to ensuring that all disabled people have the opportunities and support that they need to get a job and remain in employment and there is a range of provision to help them. The Disability Confident Campaign, which actively promotes the Access to Work scheme, is key to supporting employers in working with Government to halve the disability employment gap.

Social Security Benefits: Ochil and South Perthshire

Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much was paid in (a) disability living allowance and (b) personal independence payments to recipients in Ochil and South Perthshire constituency in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Justin Tomlinson: I refer the hon. Member to the Written answer I gave the hon. Member for Aberdeen North, to question UIN2685, published on the Question and Answer system on 18 June 2015.

Statutory Sick Pay

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he made of savings accruing to the Exchequer from changes to the percentage threshold scheme for statutory sick pay scheme introduced on 6 April 2014.

Justin Tomlinson: The savings from the abolition of the Percentage Threshold Scheme (PTS) of £52M 2014/15 were reinvested to set up Fit for Work and provide a tax exemption of up to £500 per year per employee for medical treatments recommended by Fit for Work or an employer arranged occupational health service. This was based on an independent review[1] into sickness absence which found that PTS provided little incentive to tackle the causes of sickness absence and recommended the new approach. [1] Dame Carol Black and David Frost conducted an independent review in November 2011 of sickness absence in the UKwww.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/181060/health-at-work.pdf

Employment and Support Allowance: Preston

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in Preston constituency who applied for employment and support allowance in (a) December 2014 and (b) January 2015 (i) have had medical assessments and (ii) are still waiting for medical assessments.

Priti Patel: The information requested by Parliamentary constituency is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Personal Independence Payment: Preston

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in Preston constituency who applied for personal independence payments in (a) December 2014 and (b) January 2015 (i) have had medical assessments and (ii) are waiting for medical assessments.

Justin Tomlinson: The table below shows the number of claimants who registered a Personal Independence Payment claim in the Parliamentary Constituency of Preston in December 2014 and January 2015 who:· have had an assessment by an assessment provider;· are still waiting for an assessment by an assessment provider.  December 2014January 2015Total number of registrations60130Waiting for an assessment by an assessment provider00Have had an assessment by an assessment provider40100Withdrawn or disallowed prior to a completed assessment by an assessment provider2030Source: PIP Computer Systems Note that the figures above relate to:New claim registrations only. There were no DLA reassessment claims registered in these months.Both claims made under special rules for the terminally ill and those under normal rules i.e. not the terminally ill.Claims can be withdrawn by the claimant prior to an assessment by an assessment provider, or disallowed due to non-return of the PIP2 form within the time limit, failure to attend the assessment without good cause or failure of basic eligibility criteria (for example, age criteria, residence and presence).Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.

Employment and Support Allowance

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many incapacity benefit claimants are awaiting an assessment for employment and support allowance; and how many such claimants have waited three months or more for that assessment.

Priti Patel: Information available on the number of Incapacity Benefit claimants currently awaiting a work capability assessment is published and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/employment-and-support-allowance-outcomes-of-work-capability-assessment. Official statistics for Incapacity Benefit Reassessment processing times are not readily available and to provide the information requested would incur disproportionate cost.

Department for Work and Pensions: Pay

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) direct employees, (b) agency staff and (c) outsourced staff working for his Department and its subsidiary agencies are paid less than the living wage.

Justin Tomlinson: a) All staff directly employed by DWP and its arms length bodies are paid above the Living Wage.b) DWP’s temporary agency staff are employed in line with Agency Workers Regulations which ensures parity with directly employed staff after 12 weeks.c) There are currently 3,936 outsourced staff working for DWP contractors and their Service Partners who are paid at or below the Living Wage.

Social Security Benefits

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people applied for short term benefit advance in (a) 2014 and (b) 2014-15; and how many such applications were successful.

Priti Patel: The total number of Short Term Benefit Advance applications received for:a) January 2014 to December 2014 was 253,437. Of those 76,173 were successful.b) the financial year April 2014 to February 2015 was 221,824. Of those 72,599 were sucessful. Notes1. Only Employment and Support Allowance, Incapacity Benefit, Jobseekers Allowance and Income Support applications are included in the above information. 2. A full set of data isn’t yet available for April 2014 to March 2015. 3. Data for applications is sourced from clerical records via the Management Information System Programme (MISP) and awards sourced from the Benefit Expenditure Business Information system.

Jobcentre Plus

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what training is given to Jobcentre Plus staff to take account of the Armed Forces Covenant.

Justin Tomlinson: All Jobcentre Plus staff have access to specific learning relating to the Armed Forces Covenant. This 30 minute learning product is part of foundation learning, undertaken at the beginning of the learning journey but is also accessible as “just in time” learning where staff may need to refresh their knowledge and understanding. The purpose of this learning is to prepare staff on how to assist Service leavers and their spouse or partner to resettle into civilian life and provides specific information relating to the Armed Forces Covenant. Additionally, to support people who are discharged from the armed forces on medical grounds, our network of Armed Forces Champions are available to help work coaches understand the range of support open to service leavers and to actively signpost to appropriate organisations.

Disability Living Allowance: Barking and Dagenham

Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham are in receipt of the mobility component of the disability living allowance.

Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham are in receipt of disability living allowance at the (a) lower, (b) middle and (c) higher rates.

Justin Tomlinson: Information on the number of people in receipt of Disability Living Allowance, by parliamentary constituency and component, can be extracted using the DWP Tabtool: http://83.244.183.180/100pc/tabtool.html

Housing Benefit: Torfaen

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the savings to the public purse arising from the under-occupancy penalty in Torfaen constituency in financial year 2014-15.

Justin Tomlinson: The information requested for those subject to the Removal of the Spare Room Subsidy in Torfaen, is not readily available and could only be provided at a disproportionate cost.

Employment and Support Allowance

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many employment and support allowance claimants were affected by mandatory reconsideration in 2014-15; and how many such claimants waited 14 days or more to receive a decision following that consideration.

Priti Patel: The information as requested is not available.

Pensions

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what direct notifications pensioners will receive of changes to the pension age.

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what further public information campaigns his Department plans to undertake on changes to the pension age.

Justin Tomlinson: DWP has written to individuals affected by State Pension age change and due to reach State Pension age by 2026, using the address details recorded by HMRC at the time.DWP also makes information on State Pension age changes and who they affect available on Gov.uk, including the option to calculate State Pension age.We have committed to completing a review of the State Pension age by May 2017. This is an important opportunity to ensure that State Pension age changes are fully considered by Government and well understood by those they affect.

Employment and Support Allowance

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of decisions on employment and support allowance applications have been overturned (a) at the mandatory reconsideration stage and (b) by tribunal in the last 12 months.

Justin Tomlinson: Information on mandatory reconsiderations of benefit decisions was released on 17th December 2014. This was an ad-hoc release of experimental statistics on MR requests made between 28thOctober 2013 and 31st October 2014. It gives an overview of mandatory reconsideration requests across all benefits recorded on DWP’s operational systems, and a focused summary on Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). This data can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mandatory-reconsiderations-of-dwp-benefit-decisions-data-to-october-2014 DWP statisticians are looking to include statistics for the entire ESA Work Capability Assessment (WCA) process into the existing regular statistical publication, including information on Mandatory Reconsiderations outcomes. However before DWP is able to do this statisticians need to make sure that the data is accurate and fit for purpose and develop a robust methodology. When a decision has been made on improvements to the ESA WCA regular statistical publication we will pre-announce the improvements in accordance with the UKSA release protocols. The latest appeal statistics available, published by the Ministry of Justice, which includes data on ESA appeals received and cleared, can be found here at Tables 1.4 & 2.7: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tribunals-and-gender-recognition-certificate-statistics-quarterly-january-to-march-2015

Housing Benefit: Young People

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his proposals to restrict housing benefit for 18 to 21 year olds will apply to existing claimants as well as to new claimants.

Justin Tomlinson: I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer I gave to his previous Question UIN 1696

Funeral Payments

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in each benefit delivery area (a) applied for and (b) received funeral payments in 2014.

Justin Tomlinson: The Table shows the number of Funeral Payment applications and awards over the 2014 calendar year broken down by Social Fund Budget Area. The DWP holds information on the number of applications received and awards made. Some people may have made more than one application in which case each application and any subsequent award would be counted separately in the table. National figures for Funeral Payments are published in the Annual Report by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the Social Fund. Table. Number of applications and awards made for Funeral Payments over the 2014 calendar year, broken down by Social Fund Budget Area Jobcentre Plus Social Fund Budget Area by regionApplications  (thousands)Awards  (thousands)East of England  Essex1.20.7Norwich Benefit Delivery Centre2.51.4   East Midlands  East Midlands North1.51.0South East Midlands2.01.2   London  Central and East London1.30.8London South2.41.4North and North East London1.40.8West London1.00.6   North East  Northumbria1.10.7South Tyne and Wear Valley1.20.7Tees Valley0.80.5   North West  Chorlton Benefit Delivery Centre5.02.9Greater Liverpool and Cheshire3.32.0   Scotland  Inverness Benefit Delivery Centre1.91.2Springburn Benefit Delivery Centre4.53.0   South East  South East - Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Surrey1.30.8South East – Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent and Sussex3.32.0   South West  South West Central3.42.0   Wales  Llanelli Benefit Delivery Centre1.10.7South East Wales2.21.4   West Midlands  West Midlands Social Fund5.23.2   Yorkshire and Humberside  Yorkshire & Humberside Bradford1.40.9Yorkshire & Humberside Sheffield3.62.3   Total in GB52.532.3Source: DWP Policy, Budget and Management Information System Notes· Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred and are given in thousands

Social Security Benefits: Torfaen

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the cost to the public purse was of payment of (a) out-of-work and (b) in-work benefits to people in Torfaen constituency in financial year 2014-15.

Priti Patel: Information on benefit expenditure for 2014/15 at a Parliamentary Constituency level is not currently available. 2014/15 data is planned for publication in September. Data for 2000/01 to 2013/14 is available via the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/benefit-expenditure-and-caseload-tables-2014

Social Security Benefits: Torfaen

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the proportion of the Government's projected £12 billion reduction in welfare expenditure that will take place in Torfaen constituency.

Justin Tomlinson: The Government’s commitment to reduce welfare spending was set out in its election manifesto. Further details will be given in due course.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of people liable to the under-occupancy penalty (a) found alternative accommodation and (b) paid the penalty.

Justin Tomlinson: The information requested for those subject to the removal of the spare room subsidy for part a) is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. The information requested for part (b) is not held.However, an analysis of changes to the number of people subject to a reduction in their Housing Benefit award, including those who have downsized, from May to December 2013 was published here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/removal-of-the-spare-room-subsidy-analysis-july-2014

Social Security Benefits

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average waiting time is for a claimant to receive repayment of benefits following a successful (a) mandatory reconsideration and (b) appeal at tribunal.

Justin Tomlinson: The information as requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Employment and Support Allowance

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many employment and support allowance claimants had Social Fund Loan repayments wrongly deducted from their benefits in each year since 2010; and how many of those deductions were due to (a) prior full loan repayment and (b) non-existence of the loan.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department does not collect this information.

Social Security Benefits: Scotland

Dr Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) households, (b) adults and (c) children have been affected by the benefit cap in each local authority area since the nationwide roll-out in Scotland.

Justin Tomlinson: Information on the number of households affected by local authority, family type, and number of children can be found on Stat-Xplore, the Department’s online interactive tabulation tool, which can be accessed here:https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/

Social Security Benefits

Dr Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he plans to publish an impact assessment on the reduction of the benefit cap.

Justin Tomlinson: We will publish a full Impact Assessment in due course.

Social Security Benefits: Taxation

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the cost to the claimant would be if income under (a) disability living allowance and (b) personal independence payments was subject to taxation.

Justin Tomlinson: The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Personal Independence Payment: Ealing

Stephen Pound: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will end the requirement for residents of Ealing to attend personal independence payment assessments in Deptford; and if he will make a statement.

Justin Tomlinson: The requirement placed on the providers delivering Personal Independence Payment assessments is that claimants cannot usually be expected to travel more than 90 minutes by public transport to attend assessments. We expect them to minimise travel times wherever possible but, in scheduling appointments, they need to balance both keeping journey times down and ensuring claimants are assessed in a reasonable time period. The providers have been opening new assessment centres across the country to increase capacity and reduce journey times. Atos opened sites in Harrow on 23 March 2015; Wandsworth on 15 April 2015; and Vauxhall on 29 April 2015. A centre in Twickenham is due to open in July 2015. This will mean less travel for Ealing residents requiring face-to-face assessments.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Pesticides

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what advice she has received on the use of clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam and other neonicotinoid pesticides.

George Eustice: The government believes decisions on pesticides should be based on scientific evidence. Ministers have taken advice from a variety of expert sources on the use of neonicotinoid pesticides. This includes the independent UK Expert Committee on Pesticides (ECP), Defra’s Chief Scientific Adviser, and experts from the Chemicals Regulation Directorate of the Health and Safety Executive.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Pay

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many (a) direct employees, (b) agency staff and (c) outsourced staff working for her Department and its subsidiary agencies are paid less than the living wage.

George Eustice: For the core department and its executive agencies, the number of people currently employed on less than the living wage is as follows:   (a) As at 1 April 2015, all permanent staff are paid above the living wage. There are 7 apprentices paid below the Living Wage.   (b) 66 agency (temporary) staff are paid below the Living Wage;   (c) As at December 2014, 253 outsourced staff, employed by contractors with the central Department to provide office and building services in the central Department and its agencies, were paid below the Living Wage.

Seals

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effect seals have on (a) fish populations and (b) fishing equipment.

Rory Stewart: Fisheries management does take account of seal predation. Scientists include estimates of seal predation in annual stock assessments where appropriate. These assessments inform the amount of fish which can be sustainably removed each year by the fishing industry. Seals are also known to interact with fishing gear and work on how to limit these interactions is ongoing.

Exports

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to identify and develop new export market opportunities for (a) the devolved regions and (b) the rest of the UK; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice: The Department worked closely with UKTI, the industry and the devolved regions to develop the UK Exports Action Plan, which we launched in October 2013. This Plan identified a number of target markets. The devolved regions are involved in identifying priority markets through our Exports Sector Groups for red meat, poultry and dairy. We have opened over 600 new markets for animal and animal products since 2010, and over 130 since the Action Plan was launched.

Food: Crime

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to provide dedicated financial resources to the Food Crime Unit in the Food Standards Agency; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice: Funding for the Food Crime Unit will be met from the existing FSA budgets and will be approximately £1.5 million throughout the first year, rising to £2 million in the second year. The unit has been operational since the end of 2014. Its initial work is focusing on building intelligence and evidence on food crime in the UK. A review will be undertaken after two years that will consider future likely needs and budget implications.

Neonicotinoids

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 22 June 2015 to Question 3044, what the Government's policy is on renewal of the current ban on neonicotinoid pesticides after December 2015.

George Eustice: Decisions on the approval of pesticide active substances are made at European level. The restrictions currently in place for neonicotinoids are not time-limited. They will remain in place until and unless a decision is made to change them and do not, therefore, need to be renewed at the end of this year. The Commission has begun a review of the science relating to the restrictions. The Government will contribute fully to this review and will base its view on future regulation of neonicotinoids on all the available scientific evidence.

Seals

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will launch a consultation on the proposal to ban seals being killed off the coast of the UK.

Rory Stewart: I refer the hon. Member to the reply previously given to the Rt Hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne East (Rt Hon Nick Brown) on 15 June 2015, PQ 1799.

Elephants: India

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to support the Indian government in protecting Asian elephants.

Rory Stewart: The UK is committed to conserving Asian elephants and recognises the growing threats to their populations, particularly from poaching and cross-border, illegal trade in live animals to feed the demand by the tourist and entertainment industries. The UK has been working internationally through the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in discussion with elephant range states, including India, to increase protection for Asian elephants. We secured agreement in 2014 for elephant range states to put in place measures to prevent illegal trade in live elephants.   The Darwin Initiative, a UK Government grants scheme that helps to protect biodiversity and the natural environment, has in the past contributed over £300,000 towards a five-year project in Assam, India, helping to mitigate human-elephant conflict. Indian organisations working on elephant protection will also be eligible to apply for funding under a second round of the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund, part of the £13 million that the Government has made available to support action to tackle the illegal wildlife trade.   As a global leader on this issue, the UK Government hosted the London Conference on the Illegal Wildlife Trade in February 2014 and played a major role in the success of the follow-up conference in Botswana in March 2015. The UK Government has a broad and deep relationship with India on a wide range of issues, including biodiversity, and we look forward to working further with the Indian Government on the protection of the Asian elephant and other threats to biodiversity in that region.

Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture Alliance

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether Ministers and officials in her Department have met the Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture Alliance.

George Eustice: Officials of the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD), an executive agency of Defra, meet regularly with the Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture Alliance (RUMA) and its member organisations. The VMD attends meetings of RUMA as an observer.

Antibiotics: Livestock

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will set a target to reduce farm antibiotic use.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take measures to reduce farm antibiotics use.

George Eustice: The annual progress report and implementation plan for the UK five Year Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy sets out our ambition for reducing antimicrobial use in livestock production over the next four years. The focus is on: improving bio-security and husbandry, optimising prescribing practices and improved education, training and public engagement.

Pigmeat: MRSA

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department has taken to investigate the implications for human health of the appearance of antibiotic resistant strains of MRSA in pig meat.

George Eustice: The Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food (ACMSF) sub-group on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been considering an assessment of the risk to consumers from MRSA in the food chain. Based on current evidence, the risk of contracting MRSA through consumption of foodstuffs is considered to be very low. This will be kept under review. Food Standards Agency food hygiene advice remains the same, i.e. that foodstuffs should be stored appropriately, handled hygienically and meat should be cooked thoroughly.

Neonicotinoids

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will maintain the current restrictions on the use of neonicotinoid pesticides.

George Eustice: Decisions on the approval of pesticide active substances are made at European level. Since December 2013, three of the five currently approved neonicotinoids are not permitted for use on a wide range of crops considered “attractive to bees”. A number of other uses remain permitted under the EU approval. The restrictions currently in place for neonicotinoids are not time-limited. The European Food Safety Authority will be reviewing the evidence on the impact of neonicotinoids as planned later this year.

Farms: Regulation

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department's report, Better for Business, published in April 2014, what progress she made in cutting guidance to farms by 80 per cent by March 2015; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice: Following publication of the Better for Business report, the target date for achieving the reduction in guidance was set at May 2015. By that date Defra and its regulators had reduced guidance by 80%.   The project continues and we expect this figure to increase over the next few months. This reform enables businesses and the public to understand more easily what they have to do to comply with the law and to find this information more quickly, including guidance for farms.

Farms: Inspections

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress she has made on establishing the Farming Inspection Taskforce; and when she plans to make an announcement on that issue.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the Single Inspection Taskforce will be established; and what Departmental resources she will allocate to it in (a) 2015-16 and (b) 2016-17.

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to change the number of farm inspections in each year.

George Eustice: The Animal and Plant Health Agency and Rural Payments Agency are working closely to develop proposals. Any decisions in this area will be announced by the Secretary of State when made.

Agriculture: Regulation

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 30 June 2014 to Question 201927, what progress she has made on reforming the 516 agricultural regulations as part of the Red Tape Challenge.

George Eustice: My written statement of 25 March provides full details of the legislative reforms delivered by Defra during the previous Parliament, about a third of which relate to agricultural regulations.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Families: Disadvantaged

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what criteria his Department uses to assess the effectiveness of the Troubled Families initiative in individual local authority areas.

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Troubled Families initiative to date; and who conducted that assessment.

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has for future continuous assessment of the Troubled Families initiative.

Greg Clark: The Troubled Families initiative aims to turn families around. This means children are back in school for three consecutive terms and there has been significant reductions in youth crime and anti-social behaviour; or an adult in the family is back in work for at least three months. The first Troubled Families Programme is on track to achieve its goal to turn around the lives of 120,000 troubled families across England by May 2015. As of February 2015, over 105,000 families had been turned around. Final results will be published shortly. The first programme has been subject to an independent national evaluation carried out by a consortium of research organisations, led by Ecorys UK Ltd and comprising Ipsos MORI, The National Institute for Economic and Social Research, Bryson Purdon Research and Clarissa White Research. The evaluation is assessing the impact, process and cost benefit of the programme. In July 2014, an initial report on the characteristics and problems experienced by families in the programme was published titled Understanding Troubled Families. The full final evaluation report is due later this summer.The new expanded Troubled Families Programme aims to help up to 400,000 additional families achieve significant and sustainable change. It was rolled out nationally in April 2015 and an evaluation of this programme has already begun, delivered by the Office of National Statistics, Ipsos MORI and The Stationary Office. This will build on the first programme's assessments of impact and cost benefit, alongside a programme of qualitative research with local authorities and families to understand if and how services have adapted to work more effectively with families and those families' experiences of services.

Communities and Local Government: Pay

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many (a) direct employees, (b) agency staff and (c) outsourced staff working for his Department and its subsidiary agencies are paid less than the living wage.

Mr Mark Francois: My Department and its subsidiary agencies, with one exception, have no direct employees or agency staff earning less than the living wage. One of our non-departmental public bodies, the Homes and Communities Agency, has 13 outsourced staff paid less than the living wage, all based outside London. 70 support staff employed by Interserve (who provides facilities management services to the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Department for Education) are paid less than the living wage. The Department is working with Interserve to see if contract efficiencies can be secured to help them voluntarily pay the living wage to all staff working on the Department’s facilities management contract. The Department maintains a position that the level of employee payment is for our external contractors to determine, while encouraging payment of a living wage.

Fire Services: Floods

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if his Department will bring forward legislative proposals to introduce a statutory duty for the fire and rescue service to respond to a major flooding incident; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Mark Francois: The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 and the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 detail the roles and powers of fire and rescue authorities in respect of both emergency response and rescue in a wide range of situations, including from flooding. Fire and rescue authorities are expected to produce Integrated Risk Management Plans which identify the full range of risks that an authority’s service is expected to respond to and is subject to consultation. This approach is enshrined in the National Fire Framework which was given statutory effect in August 2012.

Affordable Housing

Sir Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps the Government is taking to increase the number of affordable rented homes.

Brandon Lewis: The Government’s 2011- 2015 Affordable Homes Programme exceeded expectations, delivering nearly 186,000 affordable homes since April 2011, about 16,000 more than originally planned.£38 billion of public and private investment will help ensure 275,000 new affordable homes are provided between 2015 and 2020. This means we will build more new affordable homes than during any equivalent period in the last twenty years.

Change of Use

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of properties that will not be completed upon the expiry of permitted development rights in May 2016; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effect on the housing market of the expiration of permitted development rights in May 2016; and if he will make a statement.

Brandon Lewis: The office to residential permitted development rights were introduced in May 2013 for a three year period. Our intention in bringing forward this relaxation was that it would act as a stimulus to economic growth and provide new homes. Use of the new right suggests there is great interest from owners and developers in undertaking residential conversions of office accommodation. I refer my hon. Friend to the Written Ministerial Statement of 25 March 2015, Official Report, Columns 131-138WS, (HCWS488), where we said that we would keep under review the case for extending the office to residential permitted development right, which is helping provide much needed new homes on brownfield land. This remains the case.

Economic Situation: North of England

Rishi Sunak: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to support the economy in the North of England.

James Wharton: The Government is investing in science and technology, transport, digital and innovation, culture and tourism across the North, including in key infrastructure in my hon Friend’s constituency. Alongside the devolution of powers to Northern cities, towns and counties, we will give the North a powerful new voice, enabling it to reach its potential as a driving force in the UK economy.

Local Government: Urban Areas

Callum McCaig: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on City Deals.

Greg Clark: At Budget 2015, the Government announced its intention to extend the City Deal model further in Scotland by opening negotiations with local partners and the Scottish Government for City Deals for Aberdeen and Inverness, and discussions are progressing well.

Families: Disadvantaged

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of the performance of the Troubled Families programme.

Greg Clark: As the Prime Minister announced on 22 June, local authorities have just reported final results for the original Troubled Families Programme to us. They show that 99% of families targeted have had their lives turned around. My assessment is that is a great success.

Economic Situation: North of England

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to help local authorities support the economy in the North of England.

James Wharton: We want local authorities to focus their energies on driving growth in their areas, working in partnership with Local Enterprise Partnerships. That is why we are devolving more powers to councils to ensure the right decisions are made by local people who know their own communities best.

Wales Office

Wales Office: Buildings

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what proportion of the office space owned or leased by his Department is not in regular use; what the total (a) rental and (b) retail value is of all such office space; and if he will place in the Library a copy of his most recent departmental real estate valuation.

Alun Cairns: All space in the Wales Office’s London and Cardiff offices is in regular use. The London office is owned by the Department, and we lease accommodation in Cardiff. The Valuation Office Agency undertook a valuation of the London office (land and buildings) on 31 March 2014, and valued it at £4,125,000.

HM Treasury

Child Tax Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he will estimate the effect on the annual income of the (a) poorest 10 per cent, (b) poorest 20 per cent, (c) poorest 25 per cent, (d) poorest 30 per cent, (e) richest 40 per cent, (f) richest 30 per cent, (g) richest 25 per cent, (h) richest 20 per cent and (i) richest 10 per cent of households if the child element of child tax credit was reduced to 2003-04 levels in real terms.

Stephen Timms: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he will estimate the number of people who would no longer receive child tax credits if the child element was reduced to its 2003-04 level in real terms.

Damian Hinds: The number of families receiving child tax credits depends on a series of assumptions including earnings and employment growth.   A recent IFS publication suggested that returning the per-child element of child tax credit to its real (CPI-adjusted) 2003-04 level would reduce entitlements for about 3.7 million low-income families with children by an average of £1,400 per year, and would cut spending by about £5bn.

Treasury: Pay

Frank Field: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many (a) direct employees, (b) agency staff and (c) outsourced staff working for his Department and its subsidiary agencies are paid less than the living wage.

Harriett Baldwin: No direct employees of HM Treasury and its agencies, are paid less than the rate defined by the Living Wage Foundation as a living wage. The Government awards contracts on the basis of the best value for money for taxpayers.HM Treasury does not hold information on wages paid by our suppliers.

Consumers: Billing

Andrew Bridgen: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to ensure that consumers are given the choice to receive bills, statements and other important information on paper from their financial service providers without charge.

Harriett Baldwin: The Government takes the firm view that consumers must be able to easily access clear and transparent information about their accounts with banks and other financial service companies.   The Government is continuing to drive forward a wide-reaching and ambitious programme of reforms to open up competition in the banking sector, including enabling innovation in the use of bank data so that customers are able to use online information more effectively. This includes initiatives like the Midata current account tool, which will help customers switch to the best current account for them.   The Financial Conduct Authority is also currently reviewing cost-cutting initiatives that affect a significant number of customers, including the withdrawal of paper statements.

Endowment Mortgages: Misrepresentation

Helen Jones: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information he holds on how many complaints have been received by the Financial Services Ombudsman relating to compensation for the mis-selling of endowment mortgages; what proportion of those complaints has been resolved; and what the average time taken to reach a resolution of those complaints was.

Harriett Baldwin: The issues raised are a matter for the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) who are operationally independent from Government.   These questions have been passed on to the FOS. The FOS will reply directly to the honourable member by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Natural Resources

Paul Flynn: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish an evaluation of changes in UK natural capital since May 2010 when he publishes his Emergency Budget in July 2015.

Damian Hinds: The Government takes natural capital very seriously. We have set long term-goals to stop the decades of decline in wildlife and habitats, and have already seen some improvements. Since 2010 we have helped to create over 150,000 acres of field margins, wetlands and woodlands, and woodland cover is at its highest level in 700 years.   Economic growth and improving the environment go hand-in-hand, and the Natural Capital Committee has made a range of recommendations on how we manage the environment in a way that will enhance it for future generations whilst meeting our economic needs. Given the significance of this work, we are carefully analysing the recommendations made in the Natural Capital Committee’s report, and will respond later this year. As part of that response, we will set out how Government plans to integrate natural capital into wider policy making and reporting.   The content of the Summer Budget will not be announced ahead of 8 July.

Welfare Tax Credits

Frank Field: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, which UK companies' employees gain more in tax credits than they pay in tax and national insurance contributions.

Damian Hinds: This information requested is not available.

Pensions

Stephen Timms: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate he has made of the additional tax revenue from savers choosing not to annuitise their retirement savings following the pensions flexibilities introduced on 6 April 2015 in (a) 2015, (b) 2016, (c) 2017, (d) 2018 and (e) 2019.

Stephen Timms: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate he has made of the additional tax revenue from savers choosing not to annuitise their retirement savings following the pensions flexibilities introduced on 6 April 2015 in (a) April 2015, (b) May 2015 and (c) June 2015.

Mr David Gauke: The expected impact over the forecast period of the changes made to private pensions taxation as announced at Budget 2014 can be found in Table 2.1 (p.56) of the Budget 2014 document here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/293759/37630_Budget_2014_Web_Accessible.pdf   Following a consultation period the Chancellor made subsequent announcements relating to this measure. The Exchequer impact of these can be found in Table 2.1 (p.65) of the Autumn Statement 2014 document here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/382327/44695_Accessible.pdf   Monthly assessments of additional tax revenue from savers choosing to access their pensions flexibly are not available.

Pensions: Advisory Services

Stephen Timms: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the availability and affordability of professional advice for those wishing to draw down their retirement income.

Harriett Baldwin: Pension Wise provides free and impartial guidance on what consumers can do with their pension pots, helping them make a decision which best suits their personal circumstances. The guidance encourages customers to think about how they can best provide for themselves in the future, and prompt them to think about how long their money needs to last.   As part of this, Pension Wise helps people understand when professional financial advice could be useful and how to access it by referring them to the Money Advice Service’s new Retirement Advisor Directory. The Directory helps people find a local advisor which serves their pot size, can provide a specialist type of retirement advice service, and displays information on whether they charge a minimum fee.   The government believes that it is vital that consumers should have access to professional financial advice if they need it, and supports the work of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to encourage the development of affordable models of advice to help service this need.

Welfare Tax Credits: EU Nationals

Mr David Nuttall: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential effects on wage levels in each sector of the economy of the removal of tax credits from EU migrants for their first four years' stay in the UK.

Damian Hinds: This information is unavailable.

Welfare Tax Credits: EU Nationals

Mr David Nuttall: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of EU nationals claim working and child tax credits within a year of arrival in the UK; how many EU nationals resident in the UK have been in the UK for less than four years; and what proportion of those EU nationals claim child or working tax credits.

Mr David Nuttall: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will estimate the number of EU nationals who would not have chosen to migrate to the UK if they had not been entitled to tax credits for the first four years of their stay.

Damian Hinds: The information requested is not available.

International Conference on Financing for Development

Catherine McKinnell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will attend the Financing for Development Summit in July 2015 in Addis Ababa.

Mr David Gauke: The Chancellor strongly supports the Financing for Development Agenda, but the proximity to the Budget means he cannot attend in person.   The Secretary of State for International Development will head the UK’s delegation.

Welfare Tax Credits

Richard Fuller: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the total amount of tax credits paid to employees of each of the FTSE 100 companies.

Richard Fuller: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information he holds on which companies have the largest total amount of tax credits paid to their employees.

Damian Hinds: This information is unavailable.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Renewables Obligation

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what her policy is on the future of the Renewables Obligation Scheme.

Andrea Leadsom: The Renewables Obligation (RO) has been the main financial mechanism since 2002 for incentivising deployment of large-scale renewable electricity generation in the UK. It has succeeded in increasing amounts of renewable capacity from 3.1GW in 2002 to 24.2 GW in 2014, and increasing the level of renewable electricity in the UK from 1.8% in 2002 to 19.2% in 2014 [1].The RO closes to new capacity on 31 March 2017 as we transition to the Contract for Difference (CfD) regime which is capable of providing support for low-carbon generation in a more cost-effective way. However, to drive forward delivery of our manifesto pledge to end new subsidies for onshore wind, we announced on 18 June plans to introduce primary legislation to close the RO to new onshore wind projects from 1st April 2016 – a year earlier than planned. In order to control costs, we also closed the RO to solar capacity of 5MW and over in April this year.[1]Figures for 2014 are provisional. Source ‘Energy Trends’ (March 2015).

Nuclear Power

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the contribution of the Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change of 17 June 2015, Official Report, columns 108-112WH, what the evidential basis is for the statement that a nuclear programme will save households £78 on their energy bills in 2030.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department has estimated that building a new fleet of nuclear power stations could reduce household bills by around £78 in 2030. This is calculated by comparing the costs for consumers in a modelled scenario for the future electricity mix with Hinkley Point C and a further role out of the new nuclear programme with the cost for consumer in a scenario where there are no new nuclear power stations by 2030.

Wind Power: Subsidies

Mr Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether it is her policy that proposed changes to the subsidy regime for onshore wind power will apply to all parts of the UK; and if she will make a statement.

Andrea Leadsom: In her Written Statement of 18 June 2015, HC WS40, my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State said that we intend that the final proposals are applied across Great Britain. We are in the process of consulting Scottish and Welsh ministers on this matter.Since energy policy is devolved in Northern Ireland, we are currently in discussions with ministers there to agree how the Government’s commitments on onshore wind will be implemented in Northern Ireland.

Solar Power: Business

Ms Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate her Department has made of the number of businesses installed with solar panels in (a) Hackney North and Stoke Newington constituency, (b) London and (c) England and Wales; and what steps her Department is taking to increase the number of such businesses.

Ms Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate her Department has made of the number of homes installed with solar panels in (a) Hackney North and Stoke Newington constituency, (b) London and (c) England and Wales; and what steps her Department is taking to increase the number of such homes.

Ms Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate her Department has made of the number of schools installed with solar panels in (a) Hackney North and Stoke Newington constituency, (b) London and (c) England and Wales; and what steps her Department is taking to increase the number of such schools.

Andrea Leadsom: Most solar panels installed by businesses, schools and domestic homes will be supported by the Feed in Tariff (FIT) scheme. The Central FIT Register (CFR) uses the following sector categories to classify installations: community, domestic, and non-domestic (commercial and industrial). This breakdown is used in Tables A, B, and C below, which show the number and total capacity of solar PV installations in Hackney North and Stoke Newington, London, and England and Wales, respectively, as of 31 May 2015. For panels supported by the Renewables Obligation, sector information is not collected.Table A – Number and capacity of solar PV installations in Hackney and Stoke Newington Hackney North and Stoke NewingtonType of installationNumber of installationsTotal capacity (kW)Community130Domestic158427Non-domestic10107Grand Total169564 Table B – Number and capacity of solar PV installations in London LondonType of installationNumber of installationsTotal capacity (kW)Community1632,127Domestic14,45743,345Non-domestic5947,068Grand Total15,21452,540Table C – Number and capacity of solar PV installations in England and Wales England and WalesType of installationNumber of installationsTotal capacity (kW)Community1,70218,292Domestic539,1421,788,118Non-domestic13,618261,940Grand Total554,4622,068,351The information above is sourced from the latest extract from the CFR provided by Ofgem. Geographical breakdowns on the CFR are published by DECC quarterly, available online at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/sub-regional-feed-in-tariffs-confirmed-on-the-cfr-statistics.The government’s strategy for solar PV was published last year, available online at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-solar-pv-strategy-part-1-roadmap-to-a-brighter-future.

Climate Change

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies on climate change of the Papal encyclical issued on 18 June 2015.

Andrea Leadsom: The Papal Encyclical raises a number of important issues, including the protection of the planetThe UK Government recognises the importance of tackling climate change. We were the first country to put in place a legally binding long-term target, and we have established five year carbon budgets for reducing emissions into the late 2020s. We met our first carbon budget last year, and according to our latest projections we are on track to meet the next two carbon budgets. The UK Government is also working hard to secure a global climate deal in Paris later this year.

Renewables Obligation

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what her policy is on the continuation of operation of the Renewables Obligation Closure Order 2014, no 2388, before the introduction of primary legislation to close the Renewables Obligation to new onshore wind from 1 April 2016.

Andrea Leadsom: The Renewables Obligation Closure Order 2014 no. 2388 implements some of the policies set out in the March 2014 Government response to the consultation on transition from the Renewables Obligation (RO) to contracts for difference (CfDs), and associated grace periods [1]. It provides for the closure of the RO to new generating capacity in Great Britain (with grace periods) after 31 March 2017, at which point CfDs will become the main support mechanism for large–scale low-carbon electricity generation. The order was amended by the Renewables Obligation Closure (Amendment) Order 2015 No. 920 which provides for the closure of the RO to solar projects above 5MW in Great Britain (with grace periods) after 31 March 2015.On 18th June, my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced plans to close the RO to new onshore wind projects in Great Britain from 31 March 2016, with a proposed grace period. This will be done through the Energy Bill, meaning that any changes will be subject to full Parliamentary scrutiny.1] ‘ Government Response to the consultation on the Renewables Obligation transition and on grace periods’ (March 2014) at : https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/289076/Transition_and_Grace_Periods_Government_Response_-_12_Mar_2014.pdf.

Renewables Obligation

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what discussions she Department has had with investors who have sunk costs in the onshore wind pipeline under the Renewables Obligation.

Andrea Leadsom: We have extensive contacts with onshore wind developers and have, in recent weeks, received a range of information on investments in projects in the onshore wind pipeline. We will continue to engage with developers, investors and stakeholders as we implement the onshore wind manifesto commitment. We will consider carefully the level of investment that developers are likely to bring forward under the proposals announced by my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 18 June.

Wind Power: Lincolnshire

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to the Written Statement of 18 June 2015, HC WS40, whether her Department plans to offer support under the Renewables Obligation to the proposed Temple Hill wind farm.

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to the Written Statement of 18 June 2015, HC WS40, whether her Department plans to offer support under the Renewables Obligation to the proposed Fulbeck Airfield wind farm.

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to the Written Statement of 18 June 2015, HC WS40, whether her Department plans to offer support under the Renewables Obligation to the proposed Nocton Fen wind farm.

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, with reference to the Written Statement of 18 June 2015, HC WS40, whether her Department plans to offer support under the Renewables Obligation to the proposed Sewstern Lane wind farm.

Andrea Leadsom: We have proposed that onshore wind projects wishing to access the grace period allowing them entry to the Renewables Obligation beyond our propose closure date of 1 April 2016 will, by 18 June 2015, have to have planning consent, a grid connection offer and acceptance, and evidence of land rights for the site on which their project will be built. The precise grace period eligibility requirements will be determined through the legislative process and are subject to approval by Parliament. It will be for the developer of each individual project to determine whether they meet those eligibility requirements.

Wind Power

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, which onshore wind farms are registered as having a grid connection offer and acceptance.

Andrea Leadsom: This information is not held by DECC. My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State’s Written Statement of 18 June 2015, HC WS40, proposed that onshore wind stations wishing to access the grace period allowing them to accredit under the Renewables Obligation up to the end of March 2017 will, as one of a number of specified conditions, have to have a grid connection offer and acceptance of that offer as of the date of the announcement. The precise eligibility and evidence requirements will be determined through the legislative process and are subject to approval by Parliament.

Wind Power: Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross

Dr Paul Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps she plans to take to develop the potential for on-shore wind in Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross constituency; and how she plans to take account of that potential in reviewing on-shore wind subsidies.

Andrea Leadsom: Onshore wind has made a valuable contribution to the UK energy mix in recent years but has now reached the point where there is enough capacity in the pipeline to help the UK meet its 2020 renewable commitments. The grace period arrangements that we have proposed are intended to protect investor confidence in the wider renewables sector and balance the interests of onshore wind developers with consumers, who pay the cost of onshore wind generation through their energy bill. DECC will continue to engage with developers, investors and stakeholders as we to implement the manifesto commitment. We will consider carefully the level of investment that developers are likely to bring forward under the proposals announced by my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 18 June.

Tidal Power: Swansea

Dr   Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what ecological and environmental studies have been planned on the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon Project.

Andrea Leadsom: The Development Consent Order for the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon project includes a number of requirements for the developer to undertake ecological and environmental work before the development authorised by the Order can commence. This is required, among other things, in relation to fish and shellfish, avian enhancement and marine mammals.The work is in addition to that undertaken by the developer as part of its application for development consent. The environmental information provided by the applicant can be found on the Planning Inspectorate`s web-site:http://infrastructure.planningportal.gov.uk/projects/wales/tidal-lagoon-swansea-bay/.

Wave Power

Dr   Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent research her Department has conducted on energy produced from wave power.

Andrea Leadsom: The 2012’s Crown Estate UK Wave and Tidal Key Resource Areas study [1] assessed the UK’s theoretical resource for wave energy at 69TWh/year (27 GW).The Technology Innovation Needs Assessment (TINA) [2] published in 2012 estimated that wave energy could practically deliver 40-50 TWh/year by 2050. The department is currently working on reviewing the TINAs and a refreshed wave energy TINA is likely to be published later this year.[1] http://www.thecrownestate.co.uk/media/5476/uk-wave-and-tidal-key-resource-areas-project.pdf [2] http://www.lowcarboninnovation.co.uk/working_together/technology_focus_areas/marine/.

Wind Power: Subsidies

Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect on trade and investment of ending new subsidies for onshore wind in relation to the Renewables Obligation.

Andrea Leadsom: Onshore wind has made a valuable contribution to the UK energy mix in recent years but has now reached the point where there is enough capacity in the pipeline for the UK to meet its 2020 renewable commitments. The grace period arrangements that we have proposed are intended to protect investor confidence in the wider renewable sector and balance the interests of onshore wind developers with consumers, who pay the cost of renewable electricity generation through their energy bill.DECC will continue to engage with developers, investors and stakeholders as we implement the manifesto commitment. We will consider carefully the level of investment that developers are likely to bring forward under the proposals announced by my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 18 June.

Department for Energy and Climate Change: Directors

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many non-executive directors of her Department who were in post before May 2015 have since left the Department's board; what the names and length of tenure of such directors were; and how many and what non-executive director appointments she has made since May 2010.

Andrea Leadsom: Since May 2015 no Non-Executive Directors have left the Department’s Board.Since rt. hon. Friend, the Secretary of State joined the Department in May 2015 no Non-Executive Directors have been appointed.Since May 2010, 7 Non-Executive Directors have been appointed to the Department’s Board. Details can be found in the Department’s Annual Report:2010 – 2011:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/48141/2212-decc-annual-report-20102011.pdf2011 – 2012:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/48452/5718-decc-annual-report-and-accounts-201112-.pdf2012 – 2013:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/209325/9589-TSO-DECC_AR-2012-13_Accessible.pdf2013 – 2014:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/324013/40681_DECC_ARA_Accessible_pdf_for_DECC_website_26_June_2014.pdf.

Housing: Renewable Energy

Ben Howlett: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what (a) funds and (b) subsidies are available to encourage people to install renewable energy in their homes.

Andrea Leadsom: There are two schemes which support deployment of domestic renewable energy installations.The Feed-in Tariff incentivises domestic deployment of renewable electricity generation by providing a guaranteed tariff over 20 years to solar PV, wind, hydro, anaerobic digestion and micro CHP installations up to 5MW. Generators benefit from tariffs generation and export to the grid, as well as through bill savings.The Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) provides financial incentives to install renewable heating in place of fossil fuels, with payments based on an installation’s renewable heat output. The scheme supports air-to-water heat pumps; biomass-only boilers and biomass pellet stoves with integrated boilers; ground-to-water and water-to-water heat pumps; flat plate and evacuated tube solar thermal panels. Payments are made on a quarterly basis over seven years, with tariffs reflecting the expected cost of renewable heat generation over 20 years.

Coal: Imports

Harry Harpham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 1 June 2015 to Question 610, what forecasts her Department has made of the amount of coal that will be imported from each country in (a) 2015, (b) 2016 and (c) 2017.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department does not produce projections on imports of coal.Coal is abundant worldwide and widely traded on a flexible international market. The table below gives UK steam coal imports by country for the first quarter of 2015 in thousand tonnes and as a percentage of total steam coal imports: Country of Origin Steam CoalImports(thousand tonnes)Share of allSteam coalimportsRussia4,87949.3%Colombia2,63226.6%United States of America1,98520.1%Republic of South Africa2682.7%European Union (1)1281.3%Total all countries9,892 (1) European Union includes non-EU routed through the NetherlandsSource: DECC Energy Trends https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/energy-trends

Energy: Prices

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Retail Market Review-Implementation of Simpler Tariff Choices and Clearer Information, published in August 2013, in enabling energy bill payers to save money.

Andrea Leadsom: In July last year Ofgem committed to reporting annually on the progress of competition in the retail markets, including the impact of its retail market review measures. Ofgem is looking at a wide range of indicators and will publish its first year’s findings this summer.I have asked Ofgem to brief me on the findings shortly before they are published.

Electricity: Northern Ireland

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if her Department will hold discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive to ensure that any decisions taken on renewable energy policy with reference to Contracts for Difference will not have a disproportionate effect on the sustainability and security of electricity supply in Northern Ireland.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department has been engaged with its counterpart in Northern Ireland, the Department for Enterprise, Trade and Investment (DETI) from the early days of the CfD scheme. This has included a number of meetings between ministers and continuous engagement between officials. We will continue to discuss with them any future development of the CfD scheme, including on issues of sustainability and security of supply should these arise.

Wind Power: Subsidies

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the statement of 22 June 2015, Official Report, columns 617-36, on onshore wind subsidies, if she will place in the Library a list of all the onshore wind projects to which the grace period will apply.

Andrea Leadsom: Under our proposed grace period allowing entry to the Renewables Obligation beyond the proposed closure date of 1 April 2016, projects must, by 18 June 2015, have planning consent, a grid connection offer and acceptance, and evidence of land rights for the site on which their project will be built. The precise grace period eligibility requirements will be determined through the legislative process and are subject to approval by Parliament. It will be for the developer of each individual project to determine whether they meet those eligibility requirements and to apply for the grace period. It will only be possible to publish a list once it is clear to us which projects choose to apply for the grace period and have produced the evidence necessary to qualify.

Plutonium

Sue Hayman: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 2 June 2015 to Question 418, whether her Department received a paper on options for plutonium disposition from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority in April 2015.

Andrea Leadsom: DECC requested the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) to undertake further work to better understand the various options for plutonium disposition. The NDA have kept DECC officials up to date with their progress as they work to finalise their report which we expect to be delivered to us later this year.NDA intend to publish a public position paper in due course summarising the outcome of the latest phase of work.

Energy: Prices

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many households pay (a) the Standard Variable Tariff and (b) other tariffs in each income decile.

Andrea Leadsom: DECC estimates, from our Domestic Fuels Inquiry that around 19 million households (75%) pay standard variable tariffs for electricity and 15 million households (72%) for gas. These figures include those on variable rates who receive dual fuel or online discounts and include all payment types including direct debit and pre-payment.DECC do not produce statistics for tariffs by customers’ income.

Plutonium

Sue Hayman: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps her Department is taking to tackle the plutonium stockpile.

Andrea Leadsom: The vast majority of civil separated plutonium in the UK is managed at Sellafield, but all of it is stored in custom built facilities, specially designed to keep it safe and secure.The UK Government remains open to any credible option that offers the best value for money to the taxpayer. The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) are undertaking work for us to:1) gain further understanding of reuse options (reuse as MOX and assessment of the credible alternatives PRISM and Candu);2) continue to develop the immobilisation option; and3) establish potential approaches to acquisition and procurement.The NDA are in the process of submitting this advice to support DECC in its considerations. This, together with other sources of information and evidence, will enable DECC to consider options for the way forward. A decision will be made by ministers on how to proceed in due course.To be clear, only when the Government is confident that its preferred option could be implemented safely and securely, that it is affordable, deliverable, and offers value for money, will it be in a position to proceed.

Sellafield

Sue Hayman: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate she has made of how long it will take to complete the decommissioning of Sellafield if annual expenditure on that process remains at its current level.

Andrea Leadsom: The profile of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s forecast expenditure at the Sellafield site is determined by the programme of work, and follows a downward trend over the next 50 years following a short-term peak in the current decade. No estimate has been made of the effect that maintaining expenditure at current levels would have on the predicted date of the completion of the mission at Sellafield (currently 2120).

Plutonium

Sue Hayman: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, when her Department plans to make a decision on the reuse of plutonium.

Andrea Leadsom: The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) are in the process of submitting draft advice to support DECC in its considerations on the policy options for separated civil plutonium held in the UK.The advice is expected to give a view on the balance of attractiveness and risk of each reuse option (reuse as MOX and assessment of the credible alternatives PRISM and Candu); as well as immobilisation and continued storage.This, together with other sources of information and evidence, will enable DECC to consider options for the way forward. A decision will be made by ministers on how to proceed in due course.To be clear, only when the Government is confident that its preferred option could be implemented safely and securely, that it is affordable, deliverable, and offers value for money, will it be in a position to proceed.

Plutonium

Sue Hayman: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what progress has been made on the decision on handling the UK's plutonium stockpile.

Andrea Leadsom: The UK Government remains open to any credible option that offers the best value for money to the taxpayer. The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) are undertaking work for us to:1) gain further understanding of reuse options (reuse as MOX and assessment of the credible alternatives PRISM and Candu);2) continue to develop the immobilisation option; and3) establish potential approaches to acquisition and procurement.The NDA are in the process of submitting this advice to support DECC in its considerations. This, together with other sources of information and evidence, will enable DECC to consider options for the way forward. A decision will be made by ministers on how to proceed in due course.To be clear, only when the Government is confident that its preferred option could be implemented safely and securely, that it is affordable, deliverable, and offers value for money, will it be in a position to proceed.

Cabinet Office

Electoral Register: Young People

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to educate young people in secondary schools about electoral registration.

John Penrose: The statutory programme of study for citizenship includes how citizens can actively participate in the UK’s system of government and took effect in September 2014.The Cabinet Office has, in partnership with youth organisations, developed learning resources, including Rock Enrol! which are available to download for free and can be used in schools to encourage young people to participate in democracy and register to vote.

Electoral Register

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to increase electoral registration in (a) London and (b) the rest of the UK.

John Penrose: Over £14 million has been invested over the last two financial years to support the cost of activities aimed at increasing the levels of voter registration, including in the run up to the General Election.The Electoral Commission (EC) published on 18 June an analysis of the electoral registers used for the elections on 7 May. It showed that the numbers of entries on these registers had increased by 1% compared with the last ones published prior to the introduction of Individual Electoral Registration. The Government will keep under review its approach to electoral registration in light of the EC’s report and its findings.

Cabinet Office: Directors

Lucy Powell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many non-executive directors of his Department who were in post before May 2015 have since left the Department's board; what the names and length of tenure of such directors were; and how many and what non-executive director appointments he has made since May 2010.

Matthew Hancock: None.

Death: Stockton North

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the (a) gender, (b) age-group at death, (c) International Classification of Disease (10th revision) code for the underlying cause of death, (d) registration delay in days, (e) calendar year of death and (f) calendar year of death registration was for each death registered in Stockton North constituency from 2010 to 2014 with a registration delay of 366 days or more.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many deaths were registered in Stockton North constituency in each year from 2010 to 2014.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many deaths registered in Stockton North constituency from 2010 to 2014 had a registration delay of at least 366 days between the date of death and the date of death registration.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many deaths registered in Stockton North constituency from 2010 to 2014 had a registration delay of at least 183 days between the date of death and the date of death registration.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply. 



UKSA Letter to Member - Death Registration
(PDF Document, 139.37 KB)

Death: Kettering

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the (a) gender of the deceased person, (b) international classification of disease code for the underlying cause of death, (c) time taken to register the death, (d) year of death and (e) year the death was registered was for each death registered in Kettering constituency at least 366 days after the date of death in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2012, (iv) 2013 and (v) 2014; and whether for each such death the deceased person was aged (A) under five, (B) five to 15, (C) 15 to 24, (D) 25 to 34, (E) 35 to 44, (F) 45 to 54, (G) 55 to 64 or (H) over 65 years when they died.

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many deaths were registered in Kettering constituency at least 366 days after the date of death in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012, (d) 2013 and (e) 2014.

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many deaths were registered in Kettering constituency at least 183 days after the date of death in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012, (d) 2013 and (e) 2014.

Mr Philip Hollobone: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many deaths were registered in Kettering constituency in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012, (d) 2013 and (e) 2014.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply. 



UKSA Lerter to Member - Cause of Deaths
(PDF Document, 94.92 KB)

Members: Correspondence

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to respond to the letters from the hon. Member for North Durham dated 4 February 2015  and 28 May 2015.

Matthew Hancock: The Cabinet Secretary has replied to the hon. Member.

Department for Culture Media and Sport

UN Convention for Protection of Cultural Property in Event of Armed Conflict

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, for what reasons the UK has not ratified the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict; and whether he plans to ratify that treaty.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Previous Governments ran out of parliamentary time to bring forward the necessary legislation to ratify the 1954 Hague Convention on the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and accede to its two Protocols. This Government’s priority is to bring forward legislation to allow this at the first opportunity.

Council of Europe Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether it is the Government's policy that the UK will sign the Council of Europe Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions.

Tracey Crouch: The Government will consider signing the Council of Europe Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions once discussions on the European Commission's proposals for the EU to become a signatory have concluded.

Telecommunications

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Digital communications infrastructure strategy, published on 18 March 2015, when the Government will review progress against its ultrafast ambition; when he plans to publish that review; whether that review will be carried out independently; what that review will cover; and how much has been budgeted for that review.

Mr Edward Vaizey: To ensure the UK keeps up with the rapid pace of change, the government will review progress against our ultrafast ambition annually, including a formal review in 2018 when the current investment in superfast broadband and roll out of 4G networks will be completed. We will ensure that the review is resourced and carried out appropriately.

European Capital of Culture

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to support UK cities considering bidding for the title of 2023 European Capital of Culture.

Mr Edward Vaizey: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 27th January 2015, HC221734.

BBC: Royal Charters

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans his Department has to formally consult (a) the Scottish Government, (b) the Scottish Parliament, (c) the Welsh Government, (d) the National Assembly for Wales, (e) the Northern Ireland Executive, (f) the Northern Ireland Assembly, (g) cities in England and (h) local authorities in England about BBC Charter renewal.

Mr Edward Vaizey: We are currently in the process of agreeing a Memorandum of Understanding between the Scottish Government, the Scottish Parliament, the BBC and the UK Government in respect of the Smith Commission agreement. This sets out the formal consultative role for the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Government in the Charter Review. All other options for consultation as part of the Charter Review are currently being considered; an announcement will be made in due course.

Sports: Disability

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment he has made of (a) trends in participation in disabled sport and (b) the implementation of the Government's Paralympics 2012 legacy.

Tracey Crouch: We remain committed to delivering a lasting sports participation legacy from London 2012 and support disabled people to realise their potential in sport. Figures from Sport England’s Active People Survey released on 11 June 2015 show that 1.56 million disabled people play sport regularly. This is an increase of almost 200,000 since 2005.Since 2012 Sport England has made disability sport a key focus of its strategy and 42 of the National Governing Bodies of Sport (NGBs) it invests in have specific targets for increasing the number of disabled who play their sport. Sport England is currently investing over £171 million to make sport a practical and attractive lifestyle choice for disabled people and to get more disabled people playing sport.Government is committed to ensuring a strong legacy from the London 2012 Paralympic Games. That is why the Government, in partnership with the Greater London Authority, established the Paralympic Legacy Advisory Group to help challenge and steer legacy plans. In addition to Sport England's investments, Government is helping to deliver a legacy from the Paralympics through work such as:· the Built Environment Professional Education Project, which aims to make sure built environment professionals have the knowledge, skills and attitude to deliver inclusive environments.· the cross-government "Fulfilling Potential" strategy, which set out steps being taken to help disabled people realise their aspirations· the Disability Confident campaign, which aims to remove barriers to disabled people gaining employment. · the disabled sports fans' survey, part of joint working between the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to investigate and address inequalities in provision for disabled sports spectators."

Mobile Phones: Cumbria

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate his Department made of the proportion of (a) Copeland and (b) Cumbria covered by (i) 2G voice and low data rate mobile coverage, (ii) 3G high-speed data mobile coverage and (iii) 4G very high-speed data mobile coverage.

Mr Edward Vaizey: According to Ofcom's Infrastructure Report 2014 coverage from all four mobile network operators (MNOs) is the same for Copeland and Cumbria. Specifically, 90% of premises have 2G coverage, 61% have 3G coverage and none have 4G coverage. Improving mobile coverage is a priority for the Government and as a result of the Government's landmark agreement with the MNOs in December 2014 each MNO will provide voice and text coverage to at least 90% of the UK landmass by 2017. Furthermore, as part of its 4G licence condition Telefonica is required to provide indoor coverage to at least 98% of UK premises by 2017. These measures will significantly improve mobile coverage in the UK.

Broadcasting: Internet

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 12 June 2015 to Question 1237 on television: disability, what targets his Department uses to judge if significant progress has been made on the provision of access service on Video on Demand.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Government will use information from a variety of sources and engagement with relevant parties to develop a target that we would expect to see reached by mid-2016. That information includes the Action on Hearing Loss, Sense and RNIB paper (April 2015). We have been monitoring progress of the provision of access services for Video on Demand content since 2013 through engagement with The Authority for Television On Demand (ATVOD), platform operators and content providers. Discussions with those parties are also helping us to understand better the technical challenges in providing such services.

World War I: Sikhs

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what progress his Department is making on determining a permanent memorial to mark the Sikh contribution to the First World War.

Tracey Crouch: UK Government are not organising a memorial however the Sikh community have plans in place to unveil a permanent memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire in the autumn.

Public Libraries: WiFi

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 4 June 2015 to Question 614, on libraries: wi-fi, if he will place in the Library a list of all libraries which his Department's current desktop research indicates do not currently have wi-fi, together with information on which local authority has responsibility for each.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The list of all libraries which our research indicates do not currently have WiFi is checked and updated on a regular basis. It would be impractical to place such an ephemeral document in the House Library.

Public Libraries: WiFi

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 4 June 2015 to Question 614, on libraries: wi-fi,  when Arts Council England plans to finish the scheme.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Further to my answer of 4 June 2015 to Question 614, the scheme is due to run until 31 March 2016.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Pay

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many (a) direct employees, (b) agency staff and (c) outsourced staff working for his Department and its subsidiary agencies are paid less than the living wage.

Mr Edward Vaizey: I refer the Hon. Gentleman to my answer of 26 June 2015 (HC3211). All employees within the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, its agency workers and outsourced employees are paid above the living wage. The Department does not hold data for its Arm’s length bodies.

Consumer Rights Act 2015

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 15 June 2015 to Question 1895, what the commencement dates are of the relevant aspects of the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

Tracey Crouch: The secondary ticketing provisions in the Consumer Rights Act came into force on 26 May 2015.

Leader of the House

English Votes for English Laws

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Leader of the House, whether he plans to publish his proposals for English votes for English laws before 21 July 2015.

Chris Grayling: I intend to publish proposals for English votes for English laws shortly. Following this announcement I will ensure that there is time for full and thorough debate in the House.I am encouraged to learn of the hon. lady's impatience for the delivery of English votes for English laws and hope that she will play a full part in the scrutiny of these proposals.

Department of Health

Department of Health: Pay

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) direct employees, (b) agency staff and (c) outsourced staff working for his Department and its subsidiary agencies are paid less than the living wage.

Jane Ellison: No civil servants employed by the ‘core’ Department or its executive agencies: Public Health England and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency are paid less than the Living Wage.   In line with Cabinet Office advice, the Department and its executive agencies do not require their contracted companies to pay their employees the local Living Wage.   Currently, for agency staff (agency temps and contractors) working with the ‘core’ Department, six individual agency staff earn under the London Living Wage and one individual (an apprentice) earns under the National Living Wage. These are out of a total of 50 agency staff employed by the ‘core’ Department.   Similarly, the Department and its executive agencies have outsourced service providers on their premises that are also obliged to pay the National Minimum Wage but not obliged to pay the Living Wage.   Currently, staff working for outsourced service provider Compass number 34 individuals working in London on the Department’s catering contract, none of whom are paid below London Living Wage levels.   Currently, the number of staff working for outsourced service provider EMCOR who earn below London Living Wage is 109. EMCOR does not provide services to the Department outside the London area.

Strategic Clinical Networks

Neil Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what criteria are used to allocate budgets to each NHS Strategic Clinical Network.

Neil Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what budget has been allocated to each NHS Strategic Clinical Network in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Alistair Burt: Strategic Clinical Networks admin funding is allocated on an equal share basis. Programme funding is allocated on an un-weighted population basis.   In 2013/14 and 2014/15 funding allocations covered both Strategic Clinical Networks and Clinical Senates. In 2015/16, funding for Strategic Clinical Networks has been separated.   For both 2013/14 and 2014/15, the allocations were:   Geographical Area(Strategic Clinical Network and Clinical Senate)Admin Funding £’000Programme Funding £’000TOTAL£’000Cheshire and Merseyside£833£1,447£2,281East of England£833£3,573£4,406East Midlands£833£2,825£3,658Greater Manchester, Lancashire and South Cumbria£833£2,606£3,439Northern England£833£1,879£2,712London£833£4,794£5,627South East£833£2,687£3,520South West£833£2,793£3,626Thames Valley£833£1,233£2,066Wessex£833£1,592£2,426West Midlands£833£3,342£4,175Yorkshire and the Humber£833£3,230£4,063TOTAL£10 million£32 million£42 million  The 2015/16 programme budget allocations for Clinical Networks were:   Clinical Network2015/16 Programme Funding£’000Cheshire and Mersey£1,059East of England£2,725East Midlands£2,043Greater Manchester, Lancashire and South Cumbria£1,968Northern England£1,438London£3,633South East£2,043South West£2,119Thames Valley£1,059Wessex£1,211West Midlands£2,573Yorkshire and the Humber£2,422TOTAL£24.3 million   The admin funding for Clinical Networks in 2015/16 is currently being determined as part of the implementation of NHS England’s Organisational Alignment and Capability Programme.

Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust: Waiting Lists

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients in the Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust had to wait longer than 48 hours for a GP appointment in (a) 2010 and (b) 2015.

Alistair Burt: Data on waiting times to see a general practitioner are not collected centrally.

Swinfen Hall Prison: Tuberculosis

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether individuals who were released from Young Offender Institution Swinfen Hall since October 2014 have been identified and screened for tuberculosis.

Ben Gummer: People in close contact with a prisoner diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) in HMP & YOI Swinfen Hall in October 2014, during the period of time when the prisoner was infectious, were identified, assessed and offered testing for signs of infection.   Collaborative work between the National Offender Management Service and Public Health England (PHE) allowed the identification of 49 individuals who were subsequently transferred to another prison, as well as 32 released back to the community. Testing and follow up of individuals continues and has been coordinated between PHE centres and local TB services in their area of residence.

Swinfen Hall Prison: Tuberculosis

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the case of tuberculosis diagnosed at Young Offender Institution Swinfen Hall in October 2014 is directly linked to the three cases identified at the same site between March and May 2015.

Ben Gummer: An investigation led by Public Health England was undertaken at HMP & YOI Swinfen Hall into the possibility that a case of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) diagnosed in a prisoner in October 2014 was epidemiologically linked to three cases subsequently diagnosed during 2015. The outcome of the investigation has suggested that the cases could be linked, which has informed subsequent contact screening, and on-going efforts on raising awareness and early recognition of TB symptoms not only in this prison, but across the prison estate especially those receiving transfers from HMP & YOI Swinfen Hall.

Social Services: Finance

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if his Department will update its impact assessment for funding reform to care and support services in England to take account of the Government's policy to increase inheritance tax thresholds by 2020.

Alistair Burt: The Impact Assessment for funding reform to care and support sets out the costs and benefits of the reforms and was last updated in February 2013 to support the consultation on draft regulations and guidance. A final Impact Assessment will be published alongside the final regulations and guidance.

Locums: Employment Agencies

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to reduce the amount spent on agency locums.

Ben Gummer: On 2 June 2015, my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health announced a series of measures to tackle the increase in agency spend. These measures include:   - agency staff to be procured only from approved Framework Agreements. Use of off-framework arrangements only permitted in exceptional circumstances; - those organisations in receipt of financial support or in breach of the licence will have a ceiling placed on the level of spend they are able to incur on agency staff; and - a rate cap will be set for agency staff, with the cap permitted to be breached only in exceptional circumstances.   The controls on agency spend will begin to be rolled-out from 1 July 2015 and will be fully in place by the start of September. The controls will initially apply to nursing staff but will also apply to other clinical and management staff in due course.

Liver Diseases: Health

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he expects that Public Health England's programme of work on liver disease will be published.

Jane Ellison: The Public Health England’s liver disease framework will be published in the autumn 2015.

Liver Diseases: Health

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the programme of work for liver disease being developed by Public Health England will include a hepatitis C improvement framework.

Jane Ellison: NHS England and Public Health England continue to work on a framework for hepatitis C improvement. This hepatitis C improvement framework will set high level aims for the public health system towards elimination of hepatitis C related liver disease as a significant public health concern, with specific, measurable, time bound objectives that feed into this overarching ambition.   The hepatitis C improvement framework will be referred to in the Public Health England liver disease framework. The latter framework will be published in autumn 2015.

Mental Illness: Cumbria

Sue Hayman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many 16 to 24 year olds in Cumbria have a diagnosed mental health condition.

Alistair Burt: In March 2015, 729 16 to 24 year olds were in contact with adult mental health services, commissioned through NHS Cumbria Clinical Commissioning Group. This figure includes some people aged under 18 in contact with those services although under 18s would normally access Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (which are not included in this figure).

Health Services: Veterans

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that clinical commissioning groups adhere to the Armed Forces Covenant when responding to Individual Funding Requests for the treatment of ex-servicemen.

Ben Gummer: The Government Mandate to NHS England requires clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to ensure that the health commitments of the Armed Forces Covenant are met. Members of the Armed Forces community (including veterans) should enjoy the same standard of, and access to, healthcare as that received by any other citizen in the area they live.   The Covenant guidance provided by NHS England states that Armed Forces veterans should receive priority access to NHS secondary care for any conditions which are related to their service, subject to the clinical needs of all patients.   For veterans as with the general public local CCG Independent Funding Request (IFR) policies and processes will apply. In England local CCGs each have their own commissioning policies that are compliant with both the NHS Mandate and Armed Forces Covenant. When an individual is considered clinically exceptional in the treatment they are seeking, the treating clinician can seek to take the request through the CCGs IFR panel for an exception to their local policy.

Negligence: Legal Costs

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will cap the legal fees paid by the NHS in clinical negligence cases; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Gummer: This Government believes that it is unacceptable for lawyers to incur costs that are far higher than the amount of any compensation awarded to the patient and want costs to be proportionate. High legal costs in clinical negligence cases divert money away from patient care in the National Health Service. This is why we have recently announced that we will be launching a formal consultation in the autumn with the goal of establishing an appropriate level of fixed costs for lower value clinical negligence claims.

Mental Illness: Cumbria

Sue Hayman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many five to 16 year olds in Cumbria have a diagnosed mental health condition.

Alistair Burt: The data requested are not collected centrally.

Fats

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress has been made on the voluntary reduction in trans-fats in food since 2012; and if he will bring forward proposals to ban trans-fats in the UK.

Jane Ellison: Under the voluntary partnership with industry, 90 businesses committed to the non-use of artificial trans fats and 11 businesses committed to the removal of artificial trans fats. Population intakes of trans fats remain well within recommended levels.   As the Government develops its priorities, we will continue to ensure that we collectively make the greatest impact on diets and public health. A total ban on trans fats is not appropriate because they can be found naturally, at low levels, in some foods.

Fats

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effect of trans-fats consumption on public health.

Jane Ellison: In 2007, the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition examined the scientific evidence on trans fats and health. The Committee endorsed the recommendation, made in 1994, that the average trans fat intake of the population should not exceed 2% of food energy.   The most recent National Diet and Nutrition Survey indicates that the United Kingdom’s current average trans fat intakes are about 0.7 - 0.8% of food energy for children and adults.

General Practitioners: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many full-time equivalent GPs there are in Warrington.

Ben Gummer: The information is shown in the following table.Number of General Practitioners (GPs); Full-time Equivalent (FTE); Warrington Clinical Commissioning GroupFTE   2014 NHS WarringtonAll Practitioners106  Practitioners (excluding retainers and registrars)98  GP Providers71  Other GPs27  GP Registrars9  GP Retainers-Notes:   All Practitioners include GP Providers, Salaried/Other GPs, Registrars and Retainers.Practitioners are All Practitioners excluding Registrars and Retainers. Full time equivalent figures are rounded to the nearest whole number, totals may not add up to the sum of their components as a result of rounding.'-' denotes zero.  Data as at 30 September 2014 Data quality:  The Health and Social Care Information Centre seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data but responsibility for data accuracy lies with the organisations providing the data. Methods are continually being updated to improve data quality. Where changes impact on figures already published, this is assessed but unless it is significant at national level figures are not changed.Sources:  The Health and Social Care Information Centre General and Personal Medical Services Statistics

Nurses: Lancashire

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many nurses are employed by each NHS Trust in Lancashire; how many such nurses were recruited from outside the UK; and from which countries such nurses were recruited.

Ben Gummer: The Department does not collect data on staff recruitment from outside the United Kingdom. It is the responsibility of local National Health Service organisations to recruit the appropriate staff required to deliver services for the health needs of their local populations.   Information on the number of nurses employed by NHS trusts in Lancashire can be found in the table below.NHS Hospital and Community Health Services: Qualified Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting staff working in specified Lancashire Trusts as at 31 March 2015Full-time equivalent   March 2015  Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust1,999  Calderstones Partnership NHS Foundation Trust199  East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust2,199  Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust2,085  Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust1,932 Notes:   Full-time equivalent figures are rounded to the nearest whole number.  These statistics relate to the contracted positions within English NHS organisations and may include those where the person assigned to the position is temporarily absent, for example on maternity leave. Data Quality:   The Health and Social Care Information Centre seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data but responsibility for data accuracy lies with the organisations providing the data. Methods are continually being updated to improve data quality. Where changes impact on figures already published, this is assessed but unless it is significant at national level figures are not changed. Monthly Data:   Provisional monthly NHS workforce data figures may be revised from month to month as issues are uncovered and resolved. The monthly workforce data does not include Primary care staff or Bank staff. Source:   Health and Social Care Information Centre, NHS Hospital and Community Health Service (HCHS) provisional monthly workforce statistics.

Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: Finance

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions he has had on the financial position of Warrington and Halton NHS Trust; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State has not had any recent discussions with Warrington and Halton NHS Foundation Trust. However, the Secretary of State meets a number of National Health Service organisations regularly to discuss a wide range of issues, including financial matters.

Viral Diseases

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, on what basis his Department decided the national waiting time criteria for referral to (a) specialist services for HIV treatment and (b) hepatitis C treatment; and what the reason is for the difference in duration between the two sets of criteria.

Jane Ellison: Timing for access to care or treatments for all NHS England service specifications or policies is based on an assessment of the evidence for clinical effectiveness, cost effectiveness and affordability.

Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions he has had with Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust on expanding capacity within its accident and emergency and maternity departments.

Jane Ellison: We understand that there is a capital project underway at the Foundation Trust to improve emergency care for patients. This is a £20 million project to create an Emergency Floor at St Thomas’ hospital which is due to be completed in the latter part of 2016. This will help develop a new service model for emergency care that will transform not only the accident and emergency (A&E) departments but also acute medical wards which patients are admitted to from A&E.

Health Services: Greater London

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the financial sustainability of NHS services in south east London.

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the financial and clinical performance of (a) Lewisham and Greenwich, (b) King's College Hospital and (c) Guy's and St Thomas' hospital trusts.

Alistair Burt: These are matters for the local National Health Service.   We are advised that there are challenges for both commissioners and providers in South East London which are linked to increasing demand for services. The six South East London Clinical Commissioning Groups and NHS England are working closely with local authorities, providers and local people and patients to develop a strategy under the programme Our Healthier South East London to deliver improvements across a number of priorities and address these challenges.

NHS Trusts: Finance

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of NHS trusts that will be put into the unsustainable providers regime in the next five years in (a) England and (b) London.

Ben Gummer: The Trust Special Administrator’s (TSA) regime was first introduced in the Health Act 2009 and is a distinct statutory process intended to be used as a last resort to address significant, intractable failings at a National Health Service trust or foundation trust in a time-bound and transparent way.   There are no current recommendations to place any trusts into the TSA regime.

Hospitals: Greater London

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the ability of hospitals in London to meet the London quality staffing standards for (a) maternity, (b) A&E and (c) paediatric care.

Ben Gummer: National Health Service organisations are best placed to decide how many staff they employ. Services should be tailored to meet the needs of their patients and local communities, to deliver safe care. For the first time we have published ward by ward staffing information so patients and NHS leaders have this available as part of our transparency drive. Where there are concerns, the Chief Inspector of Hospitals will take action.

London Ambulance Service: Sick Leave

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many working days (a) in total and (b) on average per staff member were lost due to sickness in the London Ambulance Service in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2012, (iv) 2013 and (v) 2014.

Ben Gummer: The information is not available in the format requested.   The attached table shows the number of working days lost due to sickness absence for the London Ambulance Service NHS Trust from February 2010 - February 2014. 



Absences - London Ambulance Service Feb 2010-14
(Excel SpreadSheet, 11.98 KB)

Dementia: Research

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy to prioritise research on dementia during this Parliament.

George Freeman: As part of the Challenge on Dementia 2020, the National Institute for Health Research, the Medical Research Council, and the Economic and Social Research Council will maintain their current collective spend on dementia research of over £60 million a year. Research spending has already doubled from a baseline of £28.2 million in 2009/10.

Stem Cells: Donors

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has for the funding of the UK stem cell donor register and cord blood programme over the next five years.

Jane Ellison: Since 2011, the Department has provided our delivery partners, NHS Blood and Transplant and Anthony Nolan, a total of £16 million in additional, new funding to improve stem cell transplantation services in the United Kingdom. Further funding of £3 million has already been confirmed for 2015-16. Budgets for 2016-17 will be determined following the next Spending Review.   This funding already provided has led to a tangible improvement in the availability of stem cells in the UK and the achievements include:   - More UK patients received a stem cell transplant in 2014 than ever before. - Over 60% of black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) patients are now able to find a well matched donor compared to only 40% in 2010. - A single unified bone marrow donor registry has been created streamlining the provision of stem cells and reducing the time to provide cells from adult donors. - The proportion of patients receiving cord blood from UK donors has significantly increased. - The increased use of UK-sourced stem cells has meant that more donors than ever are available to donate leading to a significant cost saving by reducing the need to import stem cells.

Clinical Priorities Advisory Group: Publications

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, who is notified of funding decisions by NHS England's Clinical Priorities Advisory Group before those decisions are published.

George Freeman: NHS England's Clinical Priorities Advisory Group is an advisory committee and does not make decisions.   Funding decisions on new treatments for rare diseases will be made at NHS England's Specialised Commissioning Committee which is taking place on 30 June.   The outcome of all funding decisions will be published on NHS England’s website, and the subject of a press release, as soon after the Specialised Commissioning Committee meeting as is practically possible.   In addition, meetings are being arranged between hon. Members who have an interest and NHS England staff, following the Specialised Commissioning Committee.

NHS: Staff

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reasons he has not implemented the recommendation of Sir Robert Francis that the development of safe staffing guidance should be undertaken by NICE rather than NHS England.

Ben Gummer: Following Sir Robert Francis’ report on Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, the Government has worked with a number of organisations in the National Health Service to ensure that the best evidence and guidance about safe staffing is available to NHS providers and commissioners. The work undertaken by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has provided an important foundation for the further work now to be led from within NHS England. This work will bring together the focus on safe staffing with the development of new models of care, as set out in the Five Year Forward View.   This approach will help us to build the evidence for what safe staffing looks like in a range of settings. No one size fits all and so the work will take an adaptive approach to setting staffing levels as the NHS continues to innovate and develop new models of care.

NHS: Staff

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of implementation of safe staffing guidance in the NHS.

Ben Gummer: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance on safe staffing for nursing in adult inpatient wards in acute hospitals was published in July 2014 and guidance on safe midwifery staffing for maternity settings was published in February 2015.   The NICE safe staffing guidance is part of our overall approach to safe staffing which is intended to help make the National Health Service the safest healthcare system in the world and its effectiveness will need to be assessed as part of that ambition in the longer term. Many front-line professionals and NHS organisations have found the guidance a helpful support to their decision-making.

Ovarian Cancer: Screening

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will hold meetings with his counterparts in Northern Ireland and Wales to discuss the introduction of BRCA testing for ovarian cancer in those areas.

Jane Ellison: There are no plans to hold meetings with counterparts in Northern Ireland and Wales to discuss the introduction of BRCA testing for ovarian cancer in those areas.   Healthcare is a devolved matter, however research and evidence of best practice is made available throughout the United Kingdom.

Mental Health Services: Children

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 22 June 2015 to Question 2995, how his Department will support clinical commissioning groups to improve a transformation plan ruled inadequate.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 22 June 2015 to Question 2995, how his Department will support clinical commissioning groups to help them fulfil their transformation plans.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 22 June 2015 to Question 2995, what plans he has to allocate funding for children and young people's mental health service transformations to those clinical commissioning groups who do not produce a transformation plan.

Alistair Burt: Many clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are already working with local partners to develop local transformation plans for children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing. They are receiving advice and support from Clinical Networks, Public Health England and the learning collaboratives delivering the Children and Young People’s Improving Access to Psychological Therapies service transformation programme.   NHS England and partners will be developing further resources and support over the summer which will be available both to CCGs and partner organisations to build on their initial plans in the medium and long term to achieve the ambition set out in Future in Mind (March 2015) .   This ambition is based on what children and young people, their families and the professionals who support them said would improve children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing.   The letter of 25 May referred to in response to Question 2995 informed CCGs that access to new funds would be linked to the development of local transformation plans. NHS England plans to publish the guidance for transformation plans in July. In parallel with this, all CCGs will be given a share of the additional funding for children and young people’s mental health for 2015/16 to support their effort to develop a local transformation plan.

Mental Health Services: St Helens South and Whiston

Marie Rimmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for mental health patients in St Helens South and Whiston constituency.

Alistair Burt: This is a matter for the local National Health Service.   The Government’s mandate to the NHS for 2015/16 and our publication Achieving Better Access to Mental Health Services by 2020 both include a commitment to introduce tailored access and waiting times for mental health in 2015/16. We have invested a total of £120 million in this work.   Total mental health spending increased from £11.362 billion in 2013/14 to a planned £11.664 billion in 2014/15, a rise of £302 million.

Health Services: Waiting Lists

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients in (a) Coventry, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England waited for more than a year for NHS treatment in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: The information is shown in the following table.   Number of patients who waited more than 52 weeks from referral to start consultant-led treatment for non-urgent conditions, 2010-11 to 2014-15  CoventryWest MidlandsEngland2010-11182,61215,3512011-12123,08020,4342012-13101,04010,7752013-14834414,5642014-1591,0655,747   Source: Consultant-led referral to treatment waiting times, NHS England   Notes: Data in the West Midlands for 2013-14 was affected by data reporting issues.Coventry is defined as: Coventry Teaching Primary Care Trust (PCT) from 2010-11 to 2012-13 NHS Coventry And Rugby Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) from 2013-14 From 2010-11 to 2012-13, West Midlands is defined as: Birmingham East and North PCT Coventry Teaching PCT Dudley PCT Heart of Birmingham Teaching PCT Herefordshire PCT North Staffordshire PCT Sandwell PCT Shropshire County PCT Solihull Care Trust South Birmingham PCT South Staffordshire PCT Stoke on Trent PCT Telford and Wrekin PCT Walsall Teaching PCT Warwickshire PCT Wolverhampton City PCT Worcestershire PCT From 2013-14, West Midlands is defined as: NHS Birmingham Crosscity CCG NHS Birmingham South And Central CCG NHS Coventry And Rugby CCG NHS Dudley CCG NHS Herefordshire CCG NHS Redditch And Bromsgrove CCG NHS Sandwell And West Birmingham CCG NHS Solihull CCG NHS South Warwickshire CCG NHS South Worcestershire CCG NHS Walsall CCG NHS Warwickshire North CCG NHS Wolverhampton CCG NHS Wyre Forest CCG

Obesity: Children

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent steps his Department has taken to reduce childhood obesity in (a) Coventry, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England.

Jane Ellison: The Department has worked with a wide range of partners to reduce child obesity including Public Health England and NHS England, and through a voluntary approach with industry. Key initiatives have included Change4Life, the National Child Measurement Programme, Change4Life Sports Clubs and School Sports Funding.   Tackling obesity, particularly in children, is one of this Government’s major priorities. Progress has been made in recent years, but we know we have much further to go. We will put forward our plans in due course.   Local authorities are responsible for improving public health at local levels including tackling child obesity. They are supported by national bodies, including Public Health England, to help with evidence and advice, and create social marketing campaigns to support behaviour change.

NHS Walk-in Centres

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many NHS walk-in centres there were in (a) Coventry, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: The requested information is not collected centrally. Since 2007, the local National Health Service has been responsible for NHS walk-in-centres. It is for local commissioners to decide on the availability of these services.

Ovarian Cancer: Health Education

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to raise awareness of the symptoms of ovarian cancer.

Jane Ellison: Public Health England’s (PHE) Be Clear on Cancer (BCOC) campaigns aim to raise awareness of the symptoms of cancer and encourage symptomatic patients to present earlier. BCOC campaigns are tested at a local and regional level and are subject to a comprehensive evaluation process, the results of which are assessed thoroughly before a decision is taken on whether to run campaigns nationally throughout England.   PHE ran a regional BCOC ovarian pilot campaign from 10 February to 16 March 2014 in the North West of England television region. The campaign was aimed at women over 50, the age group most at risk of developing ovarian cancer, and their friends and family to raise awareness of bloating as a symptom of ovarian cancer and to encourage women with this symptom to visit their general practitioner.   The Department, PHE and NHS England met with the ovarian cancer charities on 16 June and it was agreed that they would continue to work together to keep the ovarian regional campaign under review and to explore how we can increase public awareness of ovarian cancer.   I attended and spoke at the Target Ovarian Cancer Parliamentary event which aimed to raise awareness amongst MPs and Peers.

Autism

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what independent evaluation his Department has commissioned on the effect of the Autism Awareness programme.

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how the funding for his Department's Autism Awareness programme has been spent; and what advertising programmes have been funded for that programme.

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to increase the reach and scope of the Autism Awareness programme during the 2015-16 parliamentary session.

Alistair Burt: The Autism Alliance UK was awarded work on Autism Awareness following an open competition. The initial stage of this work will be reviewed next month, along with how funding has been spent, by the Department and independent representatives including a person who has autism. The Autism Alliance will also commission an independent evaluation. Recommendations will then be made to Ministers on how this work could be taken forward, including its reach and scope, in the remainder of 2015/16.

Palliative Care

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he will respond to the Health Select Committee's report on End of Life Care, published on 10 March 2015, HC 805.

Ben Gummer: The Government is considering its response to the Health Select Committee’s report on End of Life Care and will respond in full shortly.